But what comes after a terabyte??
I don't really care...just wanted to get another post in somewhere!
And the answer is... a petabyte! I'm not kidding, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the animal rights group (or cult, as some accuse PETA of being). After that comes exabyte, zettabyte, and yottabyte. After that, I don't know what comes next...
Here is a handy chart:
1 bit (b) = the smallest unit possible in binary, value either 0 or 1
1 byte (B) = 8 b (256 unique combinations of bits)
1 kilobyte (kB) = 1024 B
1 megabyte (MB) = 1024 kB = 1024
2 B = 1,048,576 B
1 gigabyte (GB) = 1024 MB = 1024
3 B = 1,073,741,824 B
1 terabyte (TB) = 1024 GB = 1024
4 B = 1,099,511,627,776 B
1 petabyte (PB) = 1024 TB = 1024
5 B = 1,125,899,906,842,624 B
1 exabyte (EB) = 1024 PB = 1024
6 B = 1,152,921,504,606,846,976 B
1 zettabyte (ZB) = 1024 EB = 1024
7 B = 1,180,591,620,717,411,303,424 B
1 yottabyte (YB) = 1024 ZB = 1024
8 B = 1,208,925,819,614,629,174,706,176 B
Metric prefixes are used to represent multiples of computer storage or memory units (usually
bytes); however they are based on the number 1024 (or 2
10) rather than 1000 (10
3) as they are for traditional metric measurements.
In 1998, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) proposed the binary "metric" prefixes
kibi-,
mebi-,
gibi-, and
tebi- to be uses in place of
kilo-,
mega-,
giga-, and
tera- when powers of 1024 rather than 1000 are meant. This proposal has failed to gain widespread acceptance in popular usage. When the units are bytes, the powers of 1024 are usually assumed for the traditional metric prefixes, though not in all cases.
- compiled from data from the following sources: Dictionary of Computer and Internet Terms (Eighth Edition), by Douglas Downing, Ph.D., Michael Covington, Ph.D., and Melody Maudlin Covington (Baron's, 2003, ISBN 0-7641-2166-9) and The World Alamanac and Book of Facts (World Alamanac Publishers, 2004, ISBN 0-88687-910-8)Best regards,
Speed Racer