Kilobyte is precisely 1000 bytes
11 hours ago
- #data-storage
- #memory-units
- #binary-vs-decimal
- 1 kilobyte can be 1000 bytes, not just 1024 bytes, which is a common misconception.
- Binary system usage in computers makes 1024 bytes (2^10) practical for memory addressing, but decimal units (1000 bytes) are more accurate for larger scales.
- The difference between binary and decimal units grows with larger magnitudes, e.g., 1 terabyte (decimal) vs. 1 tebibyte (binary) has a ~10% difference.
- Confusion arises as hardware manufacturers use decimal units (e.g., HDD/SSD) while some software/OS use binary units (e.g., Windows).
- International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) introduced binary prefixes (KiB, MiB, GiB) to distinguish binary units from decimal SI units (kB, MB, GB).
- Despite standards, industry inertia keeps the binary convention (1 KB = 1024 bytes) prevalent in some contexts, causing confusion.