Binary have I got it right?

[My220x]

I was reading my networking book and it starts of with the maths involved in networking such as binary. I myself am not a maths genius but I actually think I have got the hand of binary.

 

Ok, what I know is each 1 and 0 is known as a bit and 8 bits make a byte so 1,000 bits would be a kilobit and 1,000 bytes would be a kilobyte, so would that make 8,000 bits a kilobyte?

 

I also know that 1= on and 0= off and that 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2 and 1 are the lowest eight positions used in the binary numbering system so the binary number 10110 would be 24 in the decimal system?

 

If all I have said is correct then I will be pretty happy as it means I understand binary Also, I know undestand the joke about there is only 10 types of people in this world.....

[Hightower]

Is it not....

 

1000 bits = 1 kilobit

1024 bytes = 1 kilobyte

 

I'm probably a mile off with that though haha

[My220x]

Is it not....

 

1000 bits = 1 kilobit

1024 bytes = 1 kilobyte

 

I'm probably a mile off with that though haha

 

You are correct but my books says 1000.

[Hightower]

I'm going through a C++ book and it had a section on binary - I'm sure that's what it said.....

 

Still haven't got a clue about it though haha

[R.M.B]

kilo actually means 1000 - think kilometre = 1000 metres etc.

 

Specifically in computing you get the 1024 because of binary - put 1024 and 1000 into binary and you can then see how the bits in a binary counter make using 1024 easier to work with.

 

Also...

In binary 10110 = 1x16 + 0x8 + 1x4 + 1x2 + 0x1 therefore 16+4+2 = 22 not 24!

 

If you want an easy way to chech binary, use the Windows calculator (in scientific mode) - it will let you enter numbers and translate them between Hex, decimal, octal and binary.

[My220x]

kilo actually means 1000 - think kilometre = 1000 metres etc.

 

Specifically in computing you get the 1024 because of binary - put 1024 and 1000 into binary and you can then see how the bits in a binary counter make using 1024 easier to work with.

 

Also...

In binary 10110 = 1x16 + 0x8 + 1x4 + 1x2 + 0x1 therefore 16+4+2 = 22 not 24!

 

If you want an easy way to chech binary, use the Windows calculator (in scientific mode) - it will let you enter numbers and translate them between Hex, decimal, octal and binary.

 

Added it wrong,

[tom_newton]

In IT assume "kilo" = 1024 unless written by a marketer - we are in base 2 after all

 

Bit that some get wrong is the difference between kilobit (Kb) and kiloblyte (KB) - often not written differently, and you can usually only tell from the kontext - generally, if you see kb in computing it is byte, in comms and bandwidth it is bit (8 times smaller)

[somabc]

There is also the kibibyte but does anyone use this term?

 

Kibibyte - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

IEC - IEC in action | SI zone > Prefixes for binary multiples

[localzuk]

There is also the kibibyte but does anyone use this term?

 

Kibibyte - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

IEC - IEC in action | SI zone > Prefixes for binary multiples

 

I wish the uptake of the IEC prefixes was more widespread. It'd make life easier when explaining to someone why their 250GB hard disk is actually much less than that.