An
order of magnitude
An order of magnitude is an approximation of the logarithm of a value relative to some contextually understood reference value, usually 10, interpreted as the base of the logarithm and the representative of values of magnitude one. Logarithmic di ...
is generally a factor of ten. A quantity growing by four orders of magnitude implies it has grown by a factor of 10000 or 10
4. However, because computers are binary, orders of magnitude are sometimes given as powers of two.
This article presents a list of multiples, sorted by orders of magnitude, for
bit rates measured in
bit
The bit is the most basic unit of information in computing and digital communications. The name is a portmanteau of binary digit. The bit represents a logical state with one of two possible values. These values are most commonly represente ...
s per
second. Since some bit rates may measured in other quantities of data or time (like MB/s), information to assist with converting to and from these formats is provided. This article assumes the following:
*A group of 8 bits (8 bit) constitutes one
byte
The byte is a unit of digital information that most commonly consists of eight bits. Historically, the byte was the number of bits used to encode a single character of text in a computer and for this reason it is the smallest addressable uni ...
(1 B). The
byte
The byte is a unit of digital information that most commonly consists of eight bits. Historically, the byte was the number of bits used to encode a single character of text in a computer and for this reason it is the smallest addressable uni ...
is the most common unit of measurement of information (
megabyte,
mebibyte,
gigabyte,
gibibyte
The byte is a unit of digital information that most commonly consists of eight bits. Historically, the byte was the number of bits used to encode a single character of text in a computer and for this reason it is the smallest addressable uni ...
, etc.).
*The decimal
SI prefixes ''kilo'', ''mega'' etc., are powers of 10. The
power of two
A power of two is a number of the form where is an integer, that is, the result of exponentiation with number two as the base and integer as the exponent.
In a context where only integers are considered, is restricted to non-negativ ...
equivalents are the
binary prefix
A binary prefix is a unit prefix for multiples of units. It is most often used in data processing, data transmission, and digital information, principally in association with the bit and the byte, to indicate multiplication by a power of& ...
es ''kibi'', ''mebi'', etc.
Accordingly:
* 1 kB (
kilobyte
The kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information.
The International System of Units (SI) defines the prefix '' kilo'' as 1000 (103); per this definition, one kilobyte is 1000 bytes.International Standard IEC 80000-13 Quant ...
) = 1000 bytes = 8000 bits
* 1 KiB (
kibibyte
The byte is a unit of digital information that most commonly consists of eight bits. Historically, the byte was the number of bits used to encode a single character of text in a computer and for this reason it is the smallest addressable uni ...
) = 2
10 bytes = 1024 bytes = 8192 bits
* 1 kbit (
kilobit
The kilobit is a multiple of the unit bit for digital information or computer storage. The prefix '' kilo-'' (symbol k) is defined in the International System of Units (SI) as a multiplier of 103 (1 thousand), and therefore,
:1 kilobit = = 10 ...
) = 125 bytes = 1000 bits
* 1 Kibit (
kibibit) = 2
10 bits = 1024 bits = 128 bytes
See also
*
Data-rate units
In telecommunications, data-transfer rate is the average number of bits ( bitrate), characters or symbols ( baudrate), or data blocks per unit time passing through a communication link in a data-transmission system. Common data rate units are mu ...
*
List of interface bit rates
*
Spectral efficiency
Spectral efficiency, spectrum efficiency or bandwidth efficiency refers to the information rate that can be transmitted over a given Bandwidth (signal processing), bandwidth in a specific communication system. It is a measure of how efficiently a l ...
*
Orders of magnitude (data)
An order of magnitude is usually a factor of ten. Thus, four orders of magnitude is a factor of 10,000 or 104.
This article presents a list of multiples, sorted by orders of magnitude, for units of information measured in bits and bytes.
The byt ...
*
Orders of magnitude (time)
An order of magnitude of time is usually a decimal prefix or decimal order-of-magnitude quantity together with a base unit of time, like a microsecond or a million years. In some cases, the order of magnitude may be implied (usually 1), like a ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orders Of Magnitude (Bit rate)
Bit rate