AQA GCSE · Question 10 · Fundamentals of data representation
How many bits are there in two kilobytes? Show your working.
How to approach this question
1. First, determine how many bytes are in a kilobyte. Remember that in computing, 'kilo' usually means 1024, not 1000.
2. Calculate the total number of bytes in two kilobytes.
3. Next, recall how many bits are in a single byte.
4. Finally, multiply the total number of bytes by the number of bits per byte to get the final answer.
Full Answer
To solve this, we need to use the standard units of data storage.
1. First, we convert kilobytes (KB) to bytes (B). In the context of computer memory and storage, one kilobyte is equal to 1024 bytes.
`2 KB = 2 * 1024 bytes = 2048 bytes`
2. Next, we convert bytes to bits. One byte is equal to 8 bits.
`2048 bytes = 2048 * 8 bits`
3. Finally, we perform the multiplication:
`2048 * 8 = 16384 bits`
Therefore, there are 16,384 bits in two kilobytes.
Common mistakes
✗ Using 1000 instead of 1024 for a kilobyte.
✗ Confusing bits and bytes (e.g., dividing by 8 instead of multiplying).
✗ Making a calculation error.
Expert