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The term 'kilobyte' has traditionally been used to refer to 1024 bytes (2 10 B). [5] [6] [7] The usage of the metric prefix kilo for binary multiples arose as a convenience, because 1024 is approximately 1000.
Commonly, a decimal SI metric prefix (such as kilo-) is used with bit and byte to express larger sizes (kilobit, kilobyte). But, this is usually inaccurate since these prefixes are decimal, whereas binary hardware size is usually binary. Customarily, each metric prefix, 1000 n, is used to mean a close approximation of a binary multiple, 1024 n ...
Due to typical file system design, the amount of space allocated for a file is usually larger than the size of the file's data – resulting in a relatively small amount of storage space for each file, called slack space or internal fragmentation, that is not available for other files but is not used for data in the file to which it belongs. [2]
In the context of computing, the metric prefixes are often intended to mean something other than their normal meaning. For example, a kilobyte is actually 1024 bytes even though the standard meaning of kilo is 1000. And, mega normally means one million, but in computing is often used to mean 2 20 = 1 048 576. The table below illustrates the ...
An alternative system of nomenclature for the same units (referred to here as the customary convention), in which 1 kilobyte (KB) is equal to 1,024 bytes, [38] [39] [40] 1 megabyte (MB) is equal to 1024 2 bytes and 1 gigabyte (GB) is equal to 1024 3 bytes is mentioned by a 1990s JEDEC standard. Only the first three multiples (up to GB) are ...
1 kB = 1000 bytes = 8000 bits; 1 KiB = 2 10 bytes = 1024 bytes = 8192 bits; 1 kbit = 125 bytes = 1000 bits; 1 Kibit = 2 10 bits = 1024 bits ...
The 5.25-inch diskette sold with the IBM PC AT could hold 1200 × 1024 = 1 228 800 bytes, and thus was marketed as "1200 KB" with the binary sense of "KB". [40] However, the capacity was also quoted "1.2 MB", [ 41 ] which was a hybrid decimal and binary notation, since the "M" meant 1000 × 1024.
As 1024 (2 10) is approximately 1000 (10 3), roughly corresponding to SI multiples, it was used for binary multiples as well. In 1998 the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) published standards for binary prefixes , requiring that the gigabyte strictly denote 1000 3 bytes and gibibyte denote 1024 3 bytes.