Difference between revisions of "Bit"

Latest revision as of 08:27, 21 April 2016

A bit is the basic unit of information in computing and digital communications.

Description

A bit can have only one of two values, and may therefore be physically implemented with a two-state device.

These values are most commonly represented as either 0 or 1.

Interpretations

The two values can also be interpreted as any other two-valued attribute, such as:

• Logical values (true/false, yes/no)
• Algebraic signs (+/−)
• activation states

Conventions

The correspondence between these values and the physical states of the underlying storage or device is a matter of convention, and different assignments may be used even within the same device or program.

Bit-length

The length of a binary number may be referred to as its bit-length.

Information theory

In information theory, one bit is typically defined as the uncertainty of a binary random variable that is 0 or 1 with equal probability, or the information that is gained when the value of such a variable becomes known.

Etymology

The term bit is a portmanteau of binary digit (see Binary).

See also

• Binary
• Byte
• Data
• Data transmission
• Hexadecimal
• Information
• Power of two
• Units of information

External links

• Bit @ Wikipedia