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Abbreviations
like Kb, KB, Mb and GB are often confused, misunderstood
or used incorrectly. Here's a brief explanation of
proper usage.
Let's start at the beginning. The only data that a
computer can understand is on and off. But
those two simple commands can be grouped into millions
of combinations and it is the way they are grouped in
series that creates complex data.
The basic unit is called a bit (binary digit).
Each bit has an electronic switch, or gate. If
the gate is open the bit is on and electricity can go
through. The computer reads on or open switches as a
number 1. If the gate is closed or off, the electricity
is blocked and the computer reads off bits as 0.
Bits can be grouped together to allow more complex code.
Eight bits are grouped together to form a byte.
This allows 256 possible combinations of 1/0. The
abbreviation for bit is a lowercase "b"; the
abbreviation for byte is an uppercase "B".
Bits and bytes can then be expressed in larger
measurements. They are generally expressed in exponents
of two, known as binary code.
The
Standards
Although computer data is normally measured in binary
code, the prefixes for the multiples are based on the
metric system. The nearest binary number to 1,000 is
2^10 or 1,024; thus 1,024 bytes was named a Kilobyte.
So, although a metric "kilo" equals 1,000
(e.g. one kilogram = 1,000 grams), a binary
"Kilo" equals 1,024 (e.g. one Kilobyte = 1,024
bytes). Not surprisingly, this has led to a great deal
of confusion.
In December 1998 the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) approved a new IEC International
Standard. Instead of using the metric prefixes for
multiples in binary code, the new IEC standard invented
specific prefixes for binary multiples made up of only
the first two letters of the metric prefixes and adding
the first two letters of the word "binary".
Thus, for instance, instead of Kilobyte (KB) or Gigabyte
(GB), the new terms would be kibibyte (KiB) or gibibyte
(GiB).
Here are brief summaries of the Old Standard and the IEC
Standard:
|
Old
Standard
|
| bit |
b |
0
or 1 |
| byte |
B |
8
bits |
| kilobit |
kb |
1000
bits |
| Kilobyte
(binary) |
KB |
1024
bytes |
| Kilobyte
(decimal) |
KB |
1000
bytes |
| Megabit |
Mb |
1000
kilobits |
| Megabyte
(binary) |
MB |
1024
Kilobytes |
| Megabyte
(decimal) |
MB |
1000
Kilobytes |
| Gigabit |
Gb |
1000
Megabits |
| Gigabyte
(binary) |
GB |
1024
Megabytes |
| Gigabyte
(decimal) |
GB |
1000
Megabytes |
|
IEC
Standard
|
| bit |
bit |
0
or 1 |
| byte |
B |
8
bits |
| kibibit |
Kibit |
1024
bits |
| kilobit |
kbit |
1000
bits |
| kibibyte
(binary) |
KiB |
1024
bytes |
| kilobyte
(decimal) |
kB |
1000
bytes |
| megabit |
Mbit |
1000
kilobits |
| mebibyte
(binary) |
MiB |
1024
kibibytes |
| megabyte
(decimal) |
MB |
1000
kilobytes |
| gigabit |
Gbit |
1000
megabits |
| gibibyte
(binary) |
GiB |
1024
mebibytes |
| gigabyte
(decimal) |
GB |
1000
megabytes |
____________________________________________________
Binary
Code
When used to describe Memory Size, or Data Storage,
bits/bytes are generally calculated as some exponent of
two:
| Old
Standard |
1
bit (b)
1 byte (B) = 8 bits
1 Kilobyte (K / KB) = 2^10 bytes =
1,024 bytes
1 Megabyte (M / MB) = 2^20 bytes =
1,048,576 bytes
1 Gigabyte (G / GB) = 2^30 bytes =
1,073,741,824 bytes
1 Terabyte (T / TB) = 2^40 bytes =
1,099,511,627,776 bytes
Note:
In
the metric system the "k" or
"kilo" prefix is always lowercase but
since these binary uses are not properly metric,
it has become standard to use an uppercase
"K" for the binary form. |
| IEC
Standard |
1
bit (bit)
1 byte (B) = 8 bits
1 kibibyte (KiB) = 2^10 bytes = 1,024
bytes
1 mebibyte (MiB) = 2^20 bytes = 1,048,576
bytes
1 gibibyte (GiB) = 2^30 bytes =
1,073,741,824 bytes
1 tebibyte (TiB) = 2^40 bytes =
1,099,511,627,776 bytes
Note:
For
consistency with the other prefixes for binary
multiples, the initial "K" used in the
abbreviation for kibibyte (2^10) has been
capitalised. |
Decimal
System
Although data storage capacity is generally expressed in
binary code, many hard drive manufacturers (and some
newer BIOSs) use a decimal system to express capacity:
| Old
Standard |
1
bit (b)
1 byte (B) = 8 bits
1 Kilobyte (K / KB) = 10^3 bytes =
1,000 bytes
1 Megabyte (M / MB) = 10^6 bytes =
1,000,000 bytes
1 Gigabyte (G / GB) = 10^9 bytes =
1,000,000,000 bytes
1 Terabyte (T / TB) = 10^12 bytes
= 1,000,000,000,000 bytes
Note:
A third definition of Megabyte is that used in
formatting floppy disks: 1 Megabyte = 1,024,000
bytes. |
| IEC
Standard |
1
bit (bit)
1 byte (B) = 8 bits
1 kilobyte (kB) = 10^3 bytes = 1,000
bytes
1 megabyte (MB) = 10^6 bytes = 1,000,000
bytes
1 gigabyte (GB) = 10^9 bytes =
1,000,000,000 bytes
1 terabyte (TB) = 10^12 bytes =
1,000,000,000,000 bytes
Note:
Note the use of a lowercase "k" in the
abbreviation for kilobyte, in keeping with the
metric system. |
_______________________________________________
Metric
Code
When used to
describe Data Transfer Rate, bits/bytes are calculated
as in the metric system:
| Old
Standard |
1
bit (b) = 0 or 1 = one binary digit
1 kilobit (kb / Kb / K) =
10^3 bits = 1,000 bits
1 Megabit (Mb) = 10^6 bits = 1,000,000
bits
1 Gigabit (Gb) = 10^9 bits =
1,000,000,000 bits
Note:
Kilobits per second is usually shortened to kbps
or Kbps. Although technically speaking, the term
kilobit should have a lowercase initial letter,
it has become common to capitalise it in
abbreviation (e.g. "56 Kbps" or
"56K"). The simple "K" might
seem ambiguous but, in the context of data
transfer, it can be assumed that the measurement
is in bits rather than bytes unless indicated
otherwise. |
| IEC
Standard |
1
bit (bit) = 0 or 1 = one binary digit
1 kilobit (kbit) = 10^3 bits = 1,000 bits
1 megabit (Mbit) = 10^6 bits = 1,000,000
bits
1 gigabit (Gbit) = 10^9 bits =
1,000,000,000 bits |
_______________________________________________
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