1.  Computers store all information digitally as 0s and 1s; we refer to this collectively as “data.”  We’re used to dealing with physical objects in reality, so out of habit, we tend to refer to virtual objects as tangible things as well.  But how do you actually visualize data?

3.  In the broadest sense, a computer file is simply a package for storing data.  The phrase originates from physical files, which likewise store analog data.  The size of a file is measured in Bytes, each of which consists of 8 Bits.

4.  A Bit is simply a 0 or a 1, and is the smallest denomination of size in computing.  File sizes have become so large we now use mathematical prefixes to measure file size:  1 Kilobyte (kb) = 1024 Bytes  1 Megabyte (mb) = 1024 Kilobytes  1 Gigabyte (gb) = 1024 Megabytes  1 Terabyte (tb) = 1024 Gigabytes

5.  As time and technology have evolved, the packaging for files has also evolved.  Files can now consist of all sorts of data beyond simple plaintext:  Video  Audio  Programs/Applications  Documents  And so on

6.  The type of file is noted by its extension, which is (usually) in a three-character format added to the end of a file.  For example, a text file generated in notepad would have the extension.txt

7. This can lead to some confusion, as renaming a file’s extension will not change the data within, but how the computer accesses it. Be particularly wary of “booby trapped” extensions; very often, a virus or other malware will be disguised as an image or document file, but still be appended with.exe.

8. seriously_dont_open_this.jpg.exe

10.  Folders are simply a means to store files; folders themselves do not contain meaningful data.  In most computers nowadays, folders are arranged in a “nested” structure; simply put, folders can be put inside of other folders, which can be inside other folders, et cetera.

11.  Typically, a hard disk or disk drive will be referred to with a letter followed by a colon and forward slash (ie: C:\ )  A file can be found using its filepath, which is similar to a web address (ie: C:\Users\Testguy\My Documents\hello.txt )