Byte Basics

If you are like me, your head is probably spinning by the time someone talks about a yottabyte.  Therefore, I put together this chart as a visual explanation from the binary basics to the abbreviations associated with them.  The basic element of a computer is the bit which is a single binary digit, which can either be a "0" or "1".  In the first row, you can see that there are two possible numbers with one bit.  The total possible numbers increases by a power of two as shown below for each additional bit added.

Binary Address Bits, Binary Digits and Bytes: This chart shows the theoretical capabilities to address memory based on the number of bits. For example: a 32bit machine could address 4GB. While a 64bit machine could theoretically address 16EB, it is not physically possible. Also, the OS has limitations built in to it as well. 2-nth Power