How many bytes in a kilobyte?

Answer 1

Short Answer1,000 bytes or 1,024 bytes, depending on the source. Long AnswerGenerally, kilo means multiples of 1,000. However, each bit in a computer can be either on or off, 1 or 0. This means that numbers are represented in base 2, also known as binary, whereas most humans use base 10 (the decimal numbering system). Information about bits is then stored in bits, resulting in a pattern:

• a byte is typically 8 bits
  • 8 = 2^3 = binary 1,000
• numbers are typically stored in 32 bits (4 bytes)
  • 32 = 2^5 = binary 100,000
  • 4 = 2^2 = binary 100
• a kilobyte was originally 1,024 bytes
  • 1024 = 2^10 = binary 10,000,000,000

But the International System of Units (abbreviated SI, from the original French name) defines the "kilo" prefix as multiplying any unit by 1,000. There is a shift within the computer industry toward complying with that definition; the old multiples of 1,024 (as megabyte, gigabyte, etc. are also affected) have been renamed like so:

• 1 kibibyte = 1024 bytes
• 1 mebibyte = 1024 kibibytes
• 1 gibibyte = 1024 mebibytes
• ...

See the related links for a more detailed treatment from Wikipedia.

Answer 2

1024 bytes equals 1 kilobytes