Measuring Data Storage

Question 1

What is binary data? Where is it generally used?

Answer 1

• Is data that is assigned a value of either 0 or 1; how computers communicate?
• Is used in everything in a computer from software and OS running to a word files that are encoded in binary.

Question 1

What is a bit?

Answer 1

Is a smallest unit of data that has either a value of 0 or 1.

Question 2

How is a bit saved into a Magnetic Hard Drive?

Answer 2

Bits are usually saved onto a HDD into a places called sectors. Each sector is designed to store a specific bits of data.
* If a binary value is 1, the computer places a magnetic charge into a particular sector by that bit.
* If a binary value is 0, computer leaves no magnetic charge in that location.

Question 3

How is a bit saved onto an SSD or RAM?

Answer 3

• Same way as a magnetic hard drive, except an electrical charge is used to store a bit onto flash memory cells.
• If a bit is 1, an electric charge is given off and trapped and represents a bit.
• If a bit is 0, no electric charge is given off or trapped.

Question 4

What is a group of 8-bits called?

Answer 4

A byte.

Question 5

List the unit of storage and how many bytes are used for each unit.

Answer 5

• Kilobyte saves a 1,000 bytes
• Megabyte saves 1,000,000 bytes
• Gigabyte Saves a 1,000,000,000 bytes.
• Terabyte saves a 1,000,000,000,000 bytes.
• Petabyte saves a 1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes.