![]() ![]() In other words, the byte values indicate what character is associated with that byte.Ī place value is assigned to each bit in a right-to-left pattern, starting with 1 and increasing the value by doubling it for each bit, as described in this table. A byte's place values are used to determine the meaning of the byte as a whole, based on the individual bits. How a bit worksĮach bit in a byte is assigned a specific value, which is referred to as the place value. That means a 1 TB drive can store 8 trillion bits of data. To bring this into perspective, 1 MB equals 1 million bytes, or 8 million bits. For example, a storage device might be able to store 1 terabyte ( TB) of data, which is equal to 1,000,000 megabytes ( MB). References to a computer's memory and storage are always in terms of bytes. ![]() A byte is a sequence of eight bits that are treated as a single unit. The charge determines the state of each bit, which, in turn, determines the bit's value.Īlthough a computer might be able to test and manipulate data at the bit level, most systems process and store data in bytes. Bits are stored in memory through the use of capacitors that hold electrical charges. However, the state might also be represented by yes/no, on/off or true/false. The state is represented by a single binary value, usually a 0 or 1. A bit is always in one of two physical states, similar to an on/off light switch. A bit (binary digit) is the smallest unit of data that a computer can process and store. ![]()
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