Storage Capacities (bit, byte, etc)

Syllabus Detail

  • Storage capacities including; bit, byte, kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte. 11 ATAR, 12 GEN 

Background

  • Storage is the holding of data that can be retrieved for future use
  • Capacity is the maximum amount that something can hold
  • Storage capacity in terms of computing is the maximum amount of data that can be held and retrieved
  • A bit is the basic unit of information for computer systems and can only have one of two values (commonly represented as a 1 or a 0)
  • Bit is shorthand for binary digit

 

Common references of storage

  • A bit = the basic unit (can contain only one of two values)
  • A byte = made up of 8 bits
  • A kilobyte [kb] = made up of 1024 bytes (generally referenced as 1000 bytes, hence kilo)
  • A megabyte [mb] = made up of 1024 kilobytes (generally referenced as 1000 kilobytes, hence mega)
  • A gigabyte [gb] = made up of 1024 megabytes (generally referenced as 1000 megabytes, hence giga)
  • A terabyte [tb] = made up of 1024 gigabytes (generally referenced as 1000 gigabytes, hence tera)

 

The Quirks

  • Although commonly referenced in terms of thousands, you'll notice they end in multiples of two
  • This is because memory is measured in terms of base two
  • Hence,
    • 2 ^ 1 = 2
    • 2 ^ 2 = 4
    • 2 ^ 3 = 8
    • ...
    • 2 ^ 10 = 1024

Further Research

  1. 'Bits and Bytes' explanation by Stanford here
  2. 'Bits vs Bytes' explanation by New Jersey Institute of Technology here

 

Worksheet and Practice (yet to be added)

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