Which term describes a unit that can represent 256 distinct values?

Which term describes a unit that can represent 256 distinct values?

• A. Nibble
• B. Bit
• C. Word
• D. Byte

Answer: (D)

The number of distinct values a unit can represent is determined by how many bits it contains: 2 raised to the power of the number of bits. To get 256 distinct values, you need 2^8, which means 8 bits. A unit of 8 bits is called a byte, so 256 possible values is exactly what a byte encodes. A nibble (4 bits) would cover 16 values, a bit (1 bit) covers 2 values, and a word is multiple bits depending on the system (often 16 or 32 bits), encoding far more than 256 values.

The number of distinct values a unit can represent is determined by how many bits it contains: 2 raised to the power of the number of bits. To get 256 distinct values, you need 2^8, which means 8 bits. A unit of 8 bits is called a byte, so 256 possible values is exactly what a byte encodes. A nibble (4 bits) would cover 16 values, a bit (1 bit) covers 2 values, and a word is multiple bits depending on the system (often 16 or 32 bits), encoding far more than 256 values.