Samuel Chiltern answered
Binary Digit, or Bit
The most basic unit of computer memory is the binary digit, which is more commonly referred to as a bit. A bit can represent only two different values, either true (on) or false (off).
Byte
A group of eight bits makes up a byte, but even this unit is tiny, compared with the amount of data that is commonly transferred across the Internet today.
Kilobyte
A kilobyte (KB) is 1024 bits long, or can also be thought of as 128 bytes.
Megabyte
A megabyte (MB) is made up of 1024 kilobytes. By now, you should be seeing a pattern emerging here. The now-defunct 3.5 inch floppy-disk, (which was an early form of removable storage), had a maximum storage capacity of approximately 1MB.
Gigabyte
Again, a gigabyte (GB) contains 1024 megabytes. You could expect to find 4GB of RAM inside a typical computer being sold these days.
Terabyte
Composed of 1024 gigabytes, a terabyte (TB) is approximately the largest amount of hard drive storage you'd expect to find in a typical desktop computer, although it's becoming more common to see consumer machines with 2TB drives.
Nibble
Out of interest, I will also mention nibble - which is half a byte, standing at only 4 bits long. Unless you want to pursue a deeper understanding of computer science, then you really don't need to know about nibbles!
The most basic unit of computer memory is the binary digit, which is more commonly referred to as a bit. A bit can represent only two different values, either true (on) or false (off).
Byte
A group of eight bits makes up a byte, but even this unit is tiny, compared with the amount of data that is commonly transferred across the Internet today.
Kilobyte
A kilobyte (KB) is 1024 bits long, or can also be thought of as 128 bytes.
Megabyte
A megabyte (MB) is made up of 1024 kilobytes. By now, you should be seeing a pattern emerging here. The now-defunct 3.5 inch floppy-disk, (which was an early form of removable storage), had a maximum storage capacity of approximately 1MB.
Gigabyte
Again, a gigabyte (GB) contains 1024 megabytes. You could expect to find 4GB of RAM inside a typical computer being sold these days.
Terabyte
Composed of 1024 gigabytes, a terabyte (TB) is approximately the largest amount of hard drive storage you'd expect to find in a typical desktop computer, although it's becoming more common to see consumer machines with 2TB drives.
Nibble
Out of interest, I will also mention nibble - which is half a byte, standing at only 4 bits long. Unless you want to pursue a deeper understanding of computer science, then you really don't need to know about nibbles!
