What is a bit / byte? Easily explained

The terms "bit" and "byte" play an important role in computers for data storage. In this practical tip, we explain exactly what that is and what the difference is.

Bit: Basis of data storage

Information must be stored in computers so that it is available to the user at all times. A "bit" means "binary digit" and represents the smallest electronic storage unit. Computers work with binary numbers.

• States: A computer can only work with two states: ON or OFF or 1 or 0. A bit can only assume these two states. A bit represents a kind of container in which only a 1 or a 0 can be stored.
• Storage: In order to save these bits in a computer, several data carriers such as hard disk, USB stick or DVD are available. These data carriers also only know the two states 1 or 0.
• Data transfer: DSL providers specify data transfer rates in 16 or 32 megabits per second. A bit often says something about the speed of data transfer.

Byte: The smallest amount of data

In computers, of course, you don't just save individual states, but whole numbers, letters or words. In this case, you can easily lose track if you only look at the bit information unit. Therefore, several bits are combined into one storage unit.

• Byte: 8 bits together make up one byte. A byte is the smallest amount of data. Since each bit can assume two different states, there are different possible combinations if you combine 8 bits into one byte. Each combination stands for a certain number or a letter. The combination 00000001 could stand for the letter A.
• Conversion: Bytes can be converted into higher units. Large amounts of data must be stored in modern PCs. Here, storage capacities in the terabyte range (1024 gigabytes) are necessary. 1024 bytes correspond to 1 kilobyte (KB). 1024 kilobytes are then 1 megabyte (MB) and 1024 megabytes correspond to 1 gigabyte (GB).
• Memory size: In computer technology, bytes are used to indicate storage capacities. USB sticks have storage capacities of 8, 16 or 32 gigabytes.