Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) Practice Exam

A byte consists of how many bits?

1. 4

2. 1

3. 16

4. 8

The correct answer is: 8

The correct answer is based on the standard definition of a byte in computer science, which is established as consisting of 8 bits. A bit, the smallest unit of data in computing, can represent a binary value of either 0 or 1. When grouped together, 8 bits form a byte, allowing for the representation of 256 different values (from 0 to 255). This terminology is fundamental in understanding data storage and processing in computers, as it forms the basis for larger data units such as kilobytes, megabytes, and so on. In contrast, the other options reflect incorrect values for a byte: 4 bits correspond to a nibble, 1 bit is too small to be considered a byte, and 16 bits represent a word in many architectures rather than a byte. Understanding this distinction is crucial for anyone studying computing or photography technology, as it pertains to image file sizes and data processing.