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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. [8] The binary interpretation of metric prefixes is still prominently used by the Microsoft Windows operating system. [9]
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 ...
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 ...
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.
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 ...
1024 = 32 2 = 4 5 = 2 10, the number of bytes in a kilobyte (in 1999, the IEC coined kibibyte to use for 1024 with kilobyte being 1000, but this convention has not been widely adopted). 1024 is the smallest 4-digit square and also a Friedman number.
The tenth power of 2 (2 10) has the value 1024, which is close to 1000. This has prompted the use of the metric prefixes kilo, mega, and giga to also denote the powers of 1024 which is common in information technology with the unit of digital information, the byte. Units of information are not covered in the International System of Units.