Difference between revisions of "Units of information"
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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]]. | 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]]. | ||
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== Description == | == Description == | ||
Revision as of 12:43, 9 September 2015
In computing and telecommunications, a unit of information is the capacity of some standard data storage system or communication channel, used to measure the capacities of other systems and channels.
(TO DO: expand, organize, cross-reference, illustrate.)
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
External links
- Unit of information @ Wikipedia
