Understanding Data Units
In digital computing, data is measured in bits and bytes. This converter uses the Binary System (Base 2), which is the standard for memory (RAM) and file sizes.
Common Conversions
- 1 Nibble: 4 Bits. (Half a byte). Often used in hex representation.
- 1 Byte: 8 Bits. The standard unit of digital storage.
- 1 Word: 16 Bits (or 2 Bytes). *Note: In some architectures (x86), a "word" is 32 bits or 64 bits. This tool uses the classic 16-bit definition (2 Bytes).*
- 1 Kilobyte (KB): 1024 Bytes.
- 1 Megabyte (MB): 1024 Kilobytes (1,048,576 Bytes).
- 1 Gigabyte (GB): 1024 Megabytes.
Binary vs. Decimal (SI)
Confusion often arises because storage manufacturers use Decimal (Base 10) where 1 KB = 1000 Bytes. However, computers operate on Binary (Base 2) where 1 KB = 1024 Bytes.
This calculator uses the Binary (1024) standard, which is what your computer's Operating System (Windows, Mac) and file explorers actually display.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why are my files smaller than advertised?
A 500 GB hard drive is marketed as $500 \times 10^9$ bytes (Decimal). Your computer sees it as $500 \div 1.0737 \approx 465$ GB (Binary). This is normal.
What is a Bit?
A bit (binary digit) is the smallest unit of data. It can have one of two values: 0 (off) or 1 (on).