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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 ...
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 ...
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.
On the other hand, a hard disk whose capacity is specified by the manufacturer as "10 gigabytes" or "10 GB", holds 10 × 10 9 = 10 000 000 000 bytes, or a little more than that, but less than 10 × 2 30 = 10 737 418 240 and a file whose size is listed as "2.3 GB" may have a size closer to 2.3 × 2 30 ≈ 2 470 000 000 or to 2.3 × 10 9 = 2 300 ...
The power of two equivalents are the binary prefixes kibi, mebi, etc. Accordingly: 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 = 128 bytes
For the kilobyte, a second definition has been in common use in some fields of computer science and information technology. It uses kilobyte to mean 2 10 bytes (= 1024 bytes), because of the mathematical coincidence that 2 10 is approximately 10 3 .