In computing terms, '''byte''' refers to a unit of data that is eight binary (bits) digits long. Thus it has 2<sup>8</sup> = 256 different values that can be logically mapped to represent letters, numbers or symbols (for example, "a", "7", or "@").
+
The word was coined by Dr. Werner Buchholz of [[IBM]] in 1956 <ref>http://members.aol.com/jeff570/b.html</ref>.
+
+
A byte is abbreviated with a "B". Computer storage space is usually measured in byte multiples, for example 100MB is equal to 100 million bytes - or megabytes - of data.
+
+
Other common abbreviations include:<br />
+
kB = kilobyte = 1024 bytes<br />
+
GB = gigabyte = 1 billion bytes (although this is an approximation) <ref>http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid5_gci212194,00.html</ref><br />