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Chapter One Lesson Four

The document explains the binary system used by computers, where data is represented as bits (1s and 0s) and grouped into bytes. It details the hierarchy of data measurement units from bytes to terabytes, including the use of binary prefixes for exact values. Additionally, it covers frequency measurements in hertz, megahertz, and gigahertz, which indicate the speed of computer components and data transfer rates.

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15 views3 pages

Chapter One Lesson Four

The document explains the binary system used by computers, where data is represented as bits (1s and 0s) and grouped into bytes. It details the hierarchy of data measurement units from bytes to terabytes, including the use of binary prefixes for exact values. Additionally, it covers frequency measurements in hertz, megahertz, and gigahertz, which indicate the speed of computer components and data transfer rates.

Uploaded by

benmunjarus
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

COMPLETE A+ COURSE TO IT HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE

CHAPTER ONE: LESSON FOUR

1S AND 0S

Computers are digital devices. That means they understand 1s and 0s. One 1 or one 0 is known
as a bit. In actuality, a 1 is simply a voltage level. So, when we type characters into a word
processing application, the keyboard translates those characters into voltage levels. Fig re 1.28
shows this concept. Notice that each letter is represented by a combination of eight 1s and 0s.
Each 1 is a voltage level sent to the motherboard (and components on it). Each 0 is simply the
absence of a voltage level.

Figure 1.28 Binary bits

Technicians need to be able to describe capacities such as hard drive capacities and available
drive space. Eight bits groped together are a byte. Figure 1.29 shows a hot dog divided into
eight sections (which make a big old “byte”).

Figure 1.29 A byte


Approximately 1,000 bytes is a kilobyte (kB), as shown in Figure 1.30. 1 kB is 1,024 bytes to be
exact, but industry folks simply round off the number to the nearest thousand for ease of
calculation. Approximately 1 million bytes is a megabyte (MB), but a true megabyte is 1,048,576
bytes. 540 megabytes is abbreviated as 540 MB, or 540 M. Notice in Fig re 1.31 that a megabyte
stores a lot more 1s and 0s than a kilobyte.
Approximately 1 billion bytes (1,073,741,824 bytes) is a gigabyte (GB), which is shown as 1 GB
or 1 G. Approximately 1 trillion bytes (1,099,511,627,776 bytes) is a terabyte, which is shown as
1 TB or 1 T.
When information needs to be expressed exactly, binary prefixes are used. For example, when
describing the value 210 (1,024), instead of saying this it is 1 kilobyte, which people tend to think
of as approximately 1,000 bytes, the term kibibyte (KiB) is used. When describing the value 220,
or 1,048,576, the term mebibyte (MiB) is 125 used. Table 1.5 shows the terms used with comp
ter storage capacity and binary prefixes when exact measurements are needed.
Frequencies are also important measurements in computers because people want to know how
fast their computers, processors, memory, and other parts are operating. Frequencies are
shown in similar measurements, but instead of bits (b) or bytes (B), speeds are shown in hertz
(Hz). A hertz is a measurement of cycles per second. Something that operates at approximately
1 million cycles per second is said to operate at 1 megahertz (1 MHz). For 1 billion cycles per
second, the measurement is known as 1 gigahertz, or 1 GHz. Transfer speeds are commonly
shown in bits per second, such as gigabits per second, or Gb/s, or bytes per second, such as in
megabytes per second, or MB/s. Notice the capital letter B to indicate bytes as compared to the
lowercase b to indicate bits. These measurements are used in a lot of IT-related hardware and
software.

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