A byte can represent how many bits of information?

A byte can represent how many bits of information?

• A. 128
• B. 64
• C. 256
• D. 512

Answer: (C)

A byte consists of 8 bits, which allows it to represent a total of 256 distinct values. This is determined by the formula \(2^n\), where \(n\) is the number of bits. For a byte (n = 8), the calculation would be \(2^8 = 256\). This capacity allows a byte to represent every number from 0 to 255, or different characters in a character encoding scheme like ASCII. This makes option C the correct answer regarding how many bits of information a byte can represent.

A byte consists of 8 bits, which allows it to represent a total of 256 distinct values. This is determined by the formula (2^n), where (n) is the number of bits. For a byte (n = 8), the calculation would be (2^8 = 256). This capacity allows a byte to represent every number from 0 to 255, or different characters in a character encoding scheme like ASCII. This makes option C the correct answer regarding how many bits of information a byte can represent.