Megabyte is a unit of information that is equivalent to one million bytes.
In order to know the meaning of the term megabyte, it is necessary, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we have to emphasize that it is a word that is the result of the union of these two in turn:
-The word “mega”, which derives from Greek. Specifically, it emanates from the element “mega”, which can be translated as “big” and even as “important”.
-The word “byte”, for its part, comes from English and means “eight-bit unit”.
Origin of the notion of megabyte
Megabyte is the name of a unit of information equivalent to approximately one million bytes . It is, therefore, a multiple of the byte , a unit used in the field of telecommunications and computing.
Regarding this term we must also indicate that it was created by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). It was in the 90s, specifically in 1997, when this group decided to give shape to the term megabyte with the sole objective of establishing a clear differentiation between the decimal and binary prefixes.
A byte is a set of eight bits . A bit , in turn, is another unit of measurement whose definition is linked to the choice between a pair of possibilities that are equally probable.
The megabyte is a multiple of the byte.
Its characteristics
Returning to the idea of megabyte, whose symbol is MB , it is often called mega in colloquial language. In any case, it is important not to confuse it with the megabit or Mb , equivalent to one million bits .
The concept of megabyte is usually used to refer to the amount of information contained in a file (a document) or a medium. Floppy disks , for example, could store up to 1.44 megabytes of information. A CD-ROM , meanwhile, can store between 650 and 900 megabytes depending on its characteristics.
An audio compact disc ( CD ), in this framework, usually allows the storage of 700 megabytes , equivalent to about eighty minutes of uncompressed sound. If MP3 format audio is compressed at 128 kbit/s , one megabyte contains one minute and four seconds of music.
Megabyte and mebibyte
It is relevant to keep in mind that computer science units began using multiples of 1,000 . However, with computers working on a binary basis, confusion began to occur between 1,000 and 1,024 . That is why the term mebibyte arose as a multiple of bytes, although its use by ordinary users is rare.
Within this system of measurements that includes the megabyte, there are also other units of information that must be taken into account. This would be the case, for example, of the gigabyte, which is equivalent to 1,024 megabytes, or the terabyte, which is equivalent to 1,024 gigabytes.
A Spanish company
In the same way, we cannot ignore that Grupo Megabyte is the name of a company that specializes in providing computer services.
It has more than 20 years of experience, is based in Bembibre (León) and operates in areas such as web design, online security, training and the sale of computer equipment.