Bits n' Bytes
- Bit
- A bit is the smallest piece of computer information. A single bit represents either zero, or one by using one of to electrical states in computer chips, or magnetic states in the case of disk drives.
- Byte
- A byte is eight bits which together can be used to represent the decimal values zero through 255 by assuming that each column of bits is twice the value of the previous column.
Computers think in Binary, they use a series of zeroes and ones to represent letters and numbers. The smallest piece of information is called a BIT. Think of a BIT as a single light switch that can be set to either ON (1) or OFF (0). One BIT is one binary digit.
A binary octet looks like this: 01001010
String eight BITs together and you get a "binary octet", otherwise known as a BYTE. A BYTE is roughly equivalent to one letter or character. The computer thinks in this binary system, and uses it for numbers, letters and other values. Humans think in a numbering system called decimal. To a human, one BYTE can store any decimal value from 0-255.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT QUESTION:
If one binary digit is a BIT, and eight BITS is a BYTE, what is half a BYTE?
A 'NYBBLE' !
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