Byte

A group of binary digits that combine to make a word. Generally 8 bits. Half byte is called a nibble. Large computers use 32 bits and 64 bits.

In order to remove the confusion between the SI abbreviations (such as kilo) and the definition used in computing a new system was devloped and published in 1999.

Name	Abbreviation	Factor
kibi	Ki	210 = 1024
mebi	Mi	220 = 1 048 576
gibi	Gi	230 = 1 073 741 824
tebi	Ti	240 = 1 099 511 627 776
pebi	Pi	250 = 1 125 899 906 842 624
exbi	Ei	260 = 1 152 921 504 606 846 976

IEC Standard Prefixes as per the publication - "IEC 60027-2: Letter symbols to be used in electrical technology - Part 2: Telecommunications and electronics"

See also: Baud Rate, Big Endian, Bit, Kilobyte, Little Endian, Nibble, Word, Wyde.