1.2.3 Units

Question 1

Units of data storage

Answer 1

• Bit
• Nibble (4 bits)
• Byte (8 bits)
• Kilobyte (1,000 bytes or 1 KB)
• Megabyte (1,000 KB)
• Gigabyte (1,000 MB)
• Terabyte (1,000 GB)
• Petabyte (1,000 TB)

Question 2

Converting between units:

Answer 2

Question 3

Why must data be stored in binary format?

Answer 3

Because computer systems consist of billions of tiny translators which are switches that only have 2 values - on (1) off or (0).
Therefore all data must be represented and processed in this way.

Question 4

Why is the binary system know as base 2?

Answer 4

Because there are only two digits to select from (1 and 0)…
…and when using the binary system, data is converted using the power of two.

Question 5

Why is does having just 2 states (0 and 1), make is simple to build electronic devices?

Answer 5

With 2 states, electronic components are:
-Easier to manufacture
-Therefore cheaper
-More reliable

Question 6

What are some examples of using 2 states to store data?

Answer 6

-RAM
-Hard disk
-Optical disc
-Flash memory

Question 7

Text file size calculation

Answer 7

bits per character x number of characters

Question 8

Sound file size calculation

Answer 8

sample rate x duration (s) x bit depth