We often come across units of measurement of information, the speed of its transfer or the amount of storage. In this case, it is often necessary to convert bytes to kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes and other degrees. Let's consider how to do this and not be mistaken.
Instructions
Step 1
A byte is a unit of measure for the amount of information. The need for such a unit arose when computers appeared. Since information processing in computer processors is based on the binary system of calculus, the units of its measurement are based on the binary system. So, 1 kilobyte is equal to 2 to the tenth power of a byte. That is, to convert bytes to kilobytes, you just need to multiply their number by 1024 (this is 2 to the 10th power). In Windows it is easy to do this using the built-in calculator (Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> Calculator).
Step 2
Due to the fact that in all other respects we use the decimal system of calculation, it is difficult to avoid confusion in relation to the units of measurement of information. In the metric system of measurements adopted in most countries and in domestic standards (GOSTs) for the prefixes mega, giga, tera, etc. fixed their values in the decimal system. That is, mega = 10 to the sixth power, giga = 10 to the ninth, tera = 10 to the twelfth power. Therefore, for example, 1 megabyte according to GOST is equal to 1000 kilobytes, although in the binary system it should contain 1024 kilobytes. And 1 gigabyte should be equal to 1024 megabytes or 1,073,741,824 bytes. This must be borne in mind when converting bytes to kilo-, mega- and other powers. For example, when buying a flash drive with a capacity of 4 gigabytes (according to GOST), you need to keep in mind that it can hold no more than 3, 73 gigabytes (4 294 967 296 bytes) of information.
