⚖️Binary vs Decimal Systems
Binary System (Base-2)
1 KB = 1,024 bytes (2¹⁰). Used by operating systems and memory manufacturers.
Decimal System (Base-10)
1 KB = 1,000 bytes (10³). Used by storage device manufacturers and SI units.
IEC Binary Prefixes
KiB, MiB, GiB for binary. KB, MB, GB for decimal to avoid confusion.
💿Storage Device Types
Hard Disk Drives (HDD)
Mechanical storage, typically measured in decimal GB/TB
Solid State Drives (SSD)
Flash storage, measured in decimal but OS shows binary
RAM Memory
Always measured in binary units (GiB, not GB)
📁File Size Applications
Media Files
Photos (MB), Videos (GB), Audio (MB) - understanding file sizes for storage planning
Software Installation
Application sizes, system requirements, and available storage space
Data Transfer
Internet downloads, file sharing, backup calculations
🌐Network & Internet
Internet Speed
Mbps (megabits per second) vs MBps (megabytes per second) - 8 bits = 1 byte
Data Plans
Mobile data allowances, bandwidth limits, data usage monitoring
Cloud Storage
Subscription plans, backup sizes, sync calculations
📊Common File Sizes Reference
Text & Documents
- • Text file: 1-100 KB
- • Word document: 50-500 KB
- • PDF document: 100 KB - 10 MB
- • PowerPoint: 1-50 MB
Images & Graphics
- • JPEG photo: 100 KB - 5 MB
- • PNG image: 50 KB - 2 MB
- • RAW photo: 20-100 MB
- • Vector graphic: 10 KB - 1 MB
Audio & Video
- • MP3 song: 3-10 MB
- • HD video (1hr): 1-4 GB
- • 4K video (1hr): 7-15 GB
- • Streaming (1hr): 300MB-3GB
🖥️Computing Context
Why the Confusion?
The confusion between binary and decimal systems arose because:
- • Computer memory naturally uses binary (powers of 2)
- • Marketing used familiar decimal prefixes
- • Different industries adopted different standards
- • Legacy naming conventions persisted
Practical Impact
- • 1TB drive shows as ~931GB in Windows
- • Difference increases with larger capacities
- • Always check which system is being used
- • Use IEC prefixes (GiB) for clarity
💡Practical Tips
Storage Planning
- • Always leave 10-15% free space on drives
- • Consider future growth when sizing storage
- • Factor in OS and application overhead
- • Plan for backups and redundancy
Quick Calculations
- • 1 GB ≈ 1 billion characters of text
- • 1 MB ≈ 1 minute of CD-quality audio
- • 1 GB ≈ 300 high-quality photos
- • 1 TB ≈ 500 hours of HD video