Topic Content:
- Conversion from One Unit to Another
- Worked Examples
- 1 nibble = 4 bits
- 8 bits = 1 Byte (∴ 2 nibbles = 1 Byte)
- 1000 Bytes = 1 Kilobyte
- 1000 Kilobytes = 1 Megabyte
- 1000 Megabytes = 1 Gigabyte
- 1000 Gigabytes = 1 Terabyte
Kilobyte:
Kilobyte abbreviated as KB is a unit of measurement equivalent to one thousand bytes of computer memory or disk capacity. A byte is a value which is represented by 8 bits and a bit is a binary digit comprising either 0 or 1. In computer data storage, you are allowed a total of 1024 bytes before you use up 1KB. In decimal systems, kilo stands for 1000 but the computer world is based on a binary system of twos instead of tens. So, a kilobyte is actually 1,024 bytes.
Megabyte:
Megabyte, abbreviated as MB, is a unit of measurement equivalent to 1024 Kilobytes (1024 × 1024 bytes) meaning that you can use over 1 million bytes before you use up one MB.
Gigabyte:
Gigabyte, which is abbreviated as GB, is a unit of measurement approximately equal to one billion bytes. Gigabyte is the most common term used to describe the size of a hard drive and memory these days. Decades ago, people who had up to 10 GB hard disk capacity were regarded as big shots in computing in Nigeria but today, we deal with higher storage such as talk 500 GB, Terabyte, Petabyte, etc.
Terabyte:
Terabyte, abbreviated as TB is a unit of measurement of approximately one trillion bytes. All of the books in a standard University library can be accommodated in 1 TB and you will still have unused spaces.
Petabyte:
Many years to come, we may not have finished using a Terabyte, which is a trillion bytes. A petabyte is a thousand trillion bytes. Old people in the villages refer to Petabyte as “count and die”.
Worked Examples 1:
a. How many nibbles are in 16 bytes?
Solution:
There are two nibbles in a byte.
1 byte = 2 nibbles
16 bytes = 2 × 16 = 32 nibbles
b. Convert 4 bytes to bit
Solution:
Since 1 byte = 8 bits
4 bytes = \( \scriptsize 8 \: \times \: 4 \\ \scriptsize \\ \scriptsize = 32 \: bits\)
c. Convert 40 Gigabytes to Megabytes
Solution:
Since 1 gigabyte = 1000 megabytes
40 Gigabytes = \( \scriptsize 1000 \: \times \: 40 \\ \scriptsize = 40,000 \: Megabytes\)
Worked Examples 2:
a. Convert 8 bytes to a bit
Solution:
1 byte = 8 bits
Therefore, 8 bytes = 8 × 8 = 64 bits
b. How many Kilobytes make 1 Gigabyte
Solution:
1000 Megabytes = 1 Gigabyte
Since 1000 Kilobytes = 1 Megabyte
1 Gigabyte = 1000 × 1000 = 1,000,000 Kilobytes
c. 70 Megabytes is equivalent to how many Kilobytes?
Solution:
1000 Kilobytes = 1 Megabyte
70 Megabytes = 70 × 1000 Kilobytes
Therefore, 70 Megabytes = 70,000 KB