How many megabytes are in a gigabyte, bits in a byte (or kilobyte) and what kind of units of information are they? What is larger than a megabyte or a gigabyte? Let’s understand the units of measurement

Do you want to know how much is 1 GB, megabyte and kilobyte, then read this article, where you will get comprehensive answers to this question.

What is larger: kilobyte or megabyte?

I think that most of those who use the Internet know that all the information that is posted in this virtual space (texts, pictures, videos, sounds, etc.) is presented as a set of numbers.

And this whole set of numbers can be measured, and now I will show you how to do it. After this, you can convert bytes to bits, bits to kilobytes, kilobytes to kilobits, kilobits to megabytes, megabytes to megabits, megabits to gigabytes to gigabits, gigabyte to terabyte, tarabyte to tarabit.

So, if you need to know how much is contained in 1 GB or 1 MB KB, then now, I will tell you about it in detail. I don’t know why you will need this if you are not a programmer (although they don’t really need such information), but nevertheless, I’ll tell you about it now, because I recently thought about this question and decided to write an entire article. At least this will help estimate the size of the downloaded information and more.

There is nothing complicated here; it is enough to know some rules and have a calculator at hand.

1 byte is 8 bits
1 kb is 1024 bytes
1 MB is 1024 kilobytes
1 GB is 1024 megabytes
1 terabyte is 1024 gigabytes

Abbreviations that are considered generally accepted:

kilobyte - kb
megabyte - mb
giga-byte - GB

You should also know that in the world of information only binary is used measuring system, and not the decimal one that we are used to. That is, a number can take a value not from 0 to 10, but from 0 to 1.

That is, the most simple digit measuring information is 1 bit, the value of which can be 0 or 1.
And due to the fact that such an insignificant value is very small for measuring the size (volume) of information, it is almost not used, but a byte is used, where 1 byte is equal to 18 bits. And can take values from 0 to 15 ( hexadecimal system calculus), only instead of the numerical indicators 10-15, the letters from A to F are used. These volumes of measuring information are also not particularly large, so the familiar prefixes kilo (1000), mega (1,000,000), giga (1,000,000) are used 000).

Also, I want to add that in information space kilobyte = not 1,000 bytes, but 1024. And if you want to know how many kilobytes are in a megabyte, then you will also get the number 1024. And asking the question: “so how many megabytes are in a gigabyte”? you will hear the same answer - 1024.

This “metamorphosis” is determined by the peculiarity binary system calculations. That is, when using tens, we will obtain each new digit by multiplying by 10 (1, 10, 100, 1,000, 1,000,000, etc.), then when binary method in calculus, a new digit appears after we perform the action of multiplying by 2.
An example of how it all looks: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024
That is, a number consisting of 10 digits in the binary system can only have 1024 values. This is more than 1,000, but is closest to the kilo- prefix. Exactly the same calculation scheme is used: mega.., giga.. and tera...

Nowadays it would be difficult for us to live without computers. These universal devices have become indispensable wherever we happen to be. IN different times day and night, computers process any flow of information, thereby making it easier for a person to perform difficult tasks. What is larger - a kilobyte or a megabyte? Let's find out from the article!

Bit

Before answering the question of what is larger - a kilobyte or a megabyte, we need to consider other existing units. The smallest amount of information is 1 bit, which has one value (i.e. one number). For example, if 4 bits are written, this means that the computer stores four numbers consisting of ones and zeros. Let's say: 00 01 11 or 10 11 00. The sequence of these numbers can be absolutely any. The small letter "b" represents this unit of measurement.

Byte

It's still too early to answer the question of what is larger - a megabyte or a kilobyte. There is another computer unit for measuring the amount of information besides a bit - the byte, although it is slightly larger. A byte is equal to 8 bits. For example, a file on a computer stores information equal to 5 bytes. We know that 1 byte is equal to 8 bits, but here it’s easy to calculate: you need to multiply 5 by 8 - you get 40 bits. Bytes are more than bits. They also contain only two numbers: one and zero. If the information on the computer is more than eight pixels, numbers, symbols, then a byte is used. Denote byte capital letter“B”, and in Russian it can be designated without abbreviation - byte.

Kilobyte

Here you can guess that kilobytes are made up of bytes. 1 kilobyte contains 1024 bytes. For a simpler understanding: 1 kilobyte can accommodate small text in a message, text document or in Word program. A kilobyte is denoted by two letters - Kb. It's time to move on to the comparison: what is larger - a kilobyte or a megabyte?

Megabyte

One of the most common units for measurement computer information- this is a megabyte, because it has the most optimal sizes for graphic and music files. How many kilobytes are in 1 megabyte? 1 megabyte contains 1024 kilobytes. Megabytes are also denoted by two letters - MB.

What is larger - a kilobyte or a megabyte?

The time has come to answer this question. A megabyte is larger than one kilobyte, because there are more bits in a megabyte, and it follows from this that much more information can also fit in it. For example, it is said that the file has a size of 50 MB, which means that it will also take up more space than a 50 KB file. If we want to convert kilobytes to megabytes, then we need to follow this logic: 1 KB = 0.001 MB.

Gigabyte

We have already found out that 1024 kilobytes are equal to 1 megabyte. A gigabyte is considered one of the largest units of measurement for the volume of information. In the vast majority of cases, such units are standard for DVDs and are used for videos. Any movies with good quality They measure their volume of information in gigabytes. If we see that they are using megabytes, it usually turns out that it is a video low quality. 1 gigabyte contains 1024 megabytes.

Creation

American mathematician Claude Shannon published his work “The Mathematical Theory of Communication” in 1948. In fact, the scientist’s work determined the path of development of information theory, one of the branches of cybernetics.

After Shannon's work appeared, engineers, physicists and mathematicians began to understand the term information as something new, which differs from what was usually meant by this word in everyday life.

People who read this book said that it was either extremely meaningful or, conversely, empty. However, it had not even occurred to a single person before that it was possible to accurately calculate how much information could be contained on the pages of a book. It seemed even more difficult to estimate the amount of information in the television image and in sound signals our speech.

However, Claude Shannon manages to cope with this problem, thanks to which, since the early 50s of the last century, people have been measuring information as confidently as the weight of an object in kilograms or its length in meters.

Now the largest part companies producing hard drives, continue to indicate the volume of technical products in decimal gigabytes and megabytes. If you buy hard drive for 100 gigabytes, then you need to be prepared for the fact that the “shortage” will be about 7 gigabytes. The remaining 93 gigabytes is the actual size of the disk, albeit in binary gigabytes.

If you didn’t have computer science at school or college or you skipped classes where the basics were explained, you may be confused about units of measurement. And perhaps you are ashamed to admit this to your acquaintances and friends, so as not to seem ignorant.

No problem! This article will help you figure out, for example, what is larger than a megabyte or a gigabyte, so that you not only are not ashamed of the gaps in your education, but also freely navigate the files that are stored or are just about to settle on your computer.

The computer is artificial intelligence, created by people. And unlike us, a computer processes information in a special way; it naturally does not have nerve cells, feelings and sensations, and much more that is inherent in humans. He perceives information in numbers using the binary system, namely the numbers 0 and 1.

The smallest unit of information processing is the bit.

Bit (English bit) is either zero or one, it is formed in semiconductor transistors, which are switches. Under the influence of pulses, the transistor can close or open, that is, turn on or off. When it is turned on, it is one; if there is no signal, it is zero. CPU is a brain consisting of millions of transistors, like the human brain of neurons. The processor consists of silicon crystals, each of which can accommodate up to a million of these transistors.

But when eight of these small “particles” of bits are added to larger blocks, they turn into “elegant” bytes.

A byte is an ordered set, a collection of bits that a computer processes simultaneously. One byte is not only equal to 8 bits, but is necessarily a multiple of two. True, there are other computing systems, but these are non-standard systems that we will not consider; we will leave this to computer science professors.

The more bytes a processor processes per unit time, the higher its speed.

Next, let's look at prefixes. You probably know kilobits, megabits, gigabytes, and so on. If you understand what a bit and a byte are, then the rest will be much easier. To understand for yourself what is larger than a megabyte or a gigabyte, you need to understand the meaning of the prefixes.

Of course, there is a generally accepted system and corresponding tables with designations of units of measurement of computer information. But it often happens that regular user, having run his eyes over it, after some time he forgets all this information and again wonders what is more and what is less.

Kilo – 1 thousand. Remember the kilogram, this association will help you.
Mega – 1 million. To make it easier to remember: mega is a thousand thousand.
Giga - 1 billion. One followed by 9 zeros, comes from the word “giant”.

Accordingly, adding these prefixes to the bits and bytes we already know, we get values that everyone knows and can now distinguish what is more and what is less.

But it's not that simple. We are dealing with a binary system, and not with the decimal system we are used to ordinary people, not programmers. Therefore, for example, 1 kilobyte will not be equal to 1000 bytes, but will be equal to 2 10, which is equal to 1024. If you have forgotten the course primary school, then this is two raised to the 10th power or multiplied by itself 10 times. Picture for clarity.

The numbers 256 and 512 clearly resemble something, don’t they? Right, these are common volumes RAM . And now it’s clear why these are exactly these numbers and not any others.

And here is a table of the values of units of measurement accepted in computer science, which every programmer is able to read from memory, even if he is woken up in the middle of the night.

Now it becomes clear what is more than a megabyte or gigabyte, and what is less than a kilobyte or the same megabyte.

In order to see the size of a file, you need to right-click on it and open properties, there you will see how much space it takes up on your hard drive.

Modern computers are so smart that they can process bits and bytes different types information, both numerical and textual, graphic, as well as video and sounds. This is why we can enjoy watching movies, high-quality images on our PCs, and exchanging letters via email, write messages on social networks, listen to music and share all this with other people, without thinking about those microscopic transistors that allow us to do this.

Many people can no longer imagine their lives without computers, tablets and PDAs. We use them every day, considering them something ordinary, without even thinking about the fact that just 100 years ago computers did not exist at all.

Let's remember with the kind words of the English mathematician Charles Babbage, who conceived the creation computer at the end of the 19th century, as well as German and American scientists who, in the 40s of the last century, realized this idea by launching the world's first computer weighing 28 tons. And let’s not forget to remember the great American engineer and mathematician Claude Shannon, the founder of the theory of computer science, who in 1948 introduced the concept of “bit”.

Do you know how much memory your computer has for storing information? You're always confused about what it is KB (kilobyte), MB (megabyte), GB (gigabyte)?

In this article we will try to find out what it is kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, and also which of them is greater K.B. or M.B. or G.B.?

Bit concept

Bit(English) bit) is defined as a variable that can only have two values - 1 or 0. A bit is a bit binary code . Exactly various combinations 1s and 0s are the basis for storing information and setting various teams V computer technology.

Byte

Block digital information in computing it's called byte(English) byte). This is an ordered set of bits. Historically, a byte is considered to be the number of bits that are used to encode one text character on the computer. Byte size is generally hardware dependent, but it is now generally accepted that one byte is equal to 8 bits, and is always a multiple of 2. The number of bits for storing information is always a multiple of 2. A byte is also called “ octet"(lat. octet). Thus, a byte is the smallest piece of data that can be processed by any type of computer.

Who is more KB or MB?

We figured out what bits and bytes are in computer world. The next term we need to know is kilobyte (KB). IN binary calculus A kilobyte is 1024 bytes and is represented as 2 to the tenth power. In decimal terms, a kilobyte is often equated to 1000 bytes. This is where the confusion in the designation of memory volumes begins. Decimal kilobytes are always smaller than binary kilobytes, which in turn are more precise.

As with Kilobytes, Megabytes also has two meanings. When the calculation is done in binary system, then A megabyte is equal to 1048576 bytes or 2 to the 20th power. IN decimal system The concept of Megabyte is used, equal to 1,000,000 bytes. In the decimal system, Mb is often taken to be megabit.

Users often ask what's more K.B. or M.B.? Manufacturers themselves are causing even more confusion. computer equipment, using the concepts of kilobytes or megabytes in the description of the parameters of their products, both in the decimal system and in binary format. For example, manufacturers hard drives The label often indicates the volume in the decimal system. Therefore, a hard drive with a specified capacity of 160GB actually has 163840 megabytes of memory.

Below is a correspondence table in binary system

1 bit = 1 or 0
1 nibble = 4 bits
1 byte = 8 bits
1 KB (one kilobyte) = 1024 bytes
1 MB (one megabyte) = 1024 KB = 1048576 bytes

Now let's understand the terms kilobit And megabit and where they are used. These terms are used in data transfer rates local network or Internet. The answer to the question, which is more in a mathematical sense, is presented in the following table.

1 kbit/s = 1000 bits per second
1 Mbit/s = 1,000,000 bits per second

From the article it becomes clear that MB is always greater than KB, regardless of which number system you use - binary or decimal.

There is also a difference in the spelling of these concepts. There is no shortened name for the beat. Therefore, the term used to refer to 1,000,000 bits is Gbit, and for 1000000 bytes the abbreviation is used 1 GB.

The following abbreviations are used to indicate data transfer rates: 1 kilobit = kbps, and 1 kilobyte = Kbps or kBps.

In today's article we will deal with measuring information. All the pictures, sounds and videos that we see on our monitor screens are nothing more than numbers. And these numbers can be measured, and now you will learn how to convert megabits to megabytes and megabytes to gigabytes.

If it is important for you to know how many MB are in 1 GB or how many are in 1 MB KB, then this article is for you. Most often, such data is needed by programmers who estimate the volume occupied by their programs, but sometimes it does not interfere with ordinary users to estimate the size of downloaded or stored data.

In short, all you need to know is this:

1 byte = 8 bits

1 kilobyte = 1024 bytes

1 megabyte = 1024 kilobytes

1 gigabyte = 1024 megabytes

1 terabyte = 1024 gigabytes

Common abbreviations: kilobyte=kb, megabyte=mb, gigabyte=gb.

I recently received a question from a reader of mine: “Which is bigger, kb or mb?” I hope that now everyone knows the answer.

Units of measurement information in detail

In the information world, it is not the usual decimal measurement system that is used, but a binary one. This means that one digit can take values not from 0 to 9, but from 0 to 1.

The simplest unit measuring information is 1 bit, it can be equal to 0 or 1. But this value is very small for the modern amount of data, so bits are rarely used. Bytes are most often used; 1 byte is equal to 8 bits and can take a value from 0 to 15 (hexadecimal number system). True, instead of numbers 10-15, letters from A to F are used.

But these volumes of data are small, so the familiar prefixes kilo- (thousand), mega-(million), giga-(billion) are used.

It is worth noting that in the information world, a kilobyte is not equal to 1000 bytes, but 1024. And if you want to know how many kilobytes are in a megabyte, then you will also get the number 1024. When asked how many megabytes are in a gigabyte, you will hear the same answer - 1024.

This is also determined by the peculiarity of the binary number system. If, when using tens, we obtain each new digit by multiplying by 10 (1, 10, 100, 1000, etc.), then in the binary system a new digit appears after multiplying by 2.

It looks like this:

2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024

A number consisting of 10 binary digits can have only 1024 values. This is more than 1000, but is closest to the usual prefix kilo-. Mega-, giga- and tera- are used in the same way.