View source for Units of information

In [[computing]] and [[telecommunications]], a '''unit of information''' is the capacity of some standard [[data storage system]] or [[communication channel]], used to [[Measurement|measure]] the [[capacities of other systems and channels]].

== Description ==

In [[information theory]], units of information are also used to measure the [[information contents]] or [[entropy]] of [[random variables]].

== Bit and byte ==

The most common units are:

* The [[bit]], the capacity of a system which can exist in only two states
* The [[byte]] (or octet), which is equivalent to eight bits

Multiples of these units can be formed from these with the [[SI prefixes]] (power-of-ten prefixes) or the newer [[IEC binary prefixes]] (binary power prefixes).

[[Information capacity]] is a [[dimensionless quantity]], because it refers to a [[count of binary symbols]].

== See also ==

* [[Bit]]
* [[Byte]]
* [[Information]]
* [[Information theory]]
* [[Claude Shannon]]

== External links ==

* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Units_of_information Unit of information] @ Wikipedia

[[Category:Computing]]
[[Category:Data]]
[[Category:Data structures]]
[[Category:Information]]
[[Category:Information theory]]