Powers of Data Storage

First, let us clarify that disk space and memory are two different things.  

Disk space is the computer's capacity (storage) for loading new applications and saving data.  
Memory is the computer's capability (muscle) to open (run) those stored applications. 

Example: A computer with a large hard drive may be able to store (save) thousands of photos but if it is lacking memory, it may be able to open (to view or edit) only a few photos at one time.  To the contrary, a computer with a lot of memory may be able to open dozens or even hundreds of photos at one time.   So with that out of the way...

---

For a conversion tool to calculate bytes, Kilobytes, Megabytes, etc, click here

The numbers below are approximates.

• Bit: The basic unit of information in a binary numbering system. The electronic circuitry in computers detect the difference between two states (high current and low current) and represents these two states as one of two numbers 1 or 0. These basic high/low, either/or, yes/no units of information are called bits. Eight bits comprise what is called an octet, sometimes referred to as a byte.
  
• 1 Byte: A single character (8 bits)
  
  Kilobyte A thousand bytes. Actually 1,024 bytes (2^10).
• 2 Kilobytes: A Typewritten page
  -or- the following image file
  
  
  
• 5 Kilobytes: The page you are currently reading (less the above image)
• 50 Kilobytes:  A typical one page Word Document
• 300 Kilobytes: A typical high resolution digital photograph saved as a JPG
  
  
• Megabyte (1,048,576 bytes or 1,024 Kilobytes, i.e. each thousand Kb is one Mb)
  One 3.5 inch floppy disk (actually holds about 1.38Mb)
• 2 Megabytes: A very high resolution photograph
• 5 Megabytes: 30 seconds of TV-quality video
  (imagine how big a 2 hour movie is)
• 10 Megabytes: A minute of high-fidelity sound
• 20 Megabytes: Our entire web site including all images and databases.
• 700 Megabytes: A Typical CD-ROM.  Approximately 80 minutes of music
  
  
• Gigabyte (1,073,741,824 bytes or ~1,073,741 Kilobytes or ~1,074 Megabytes)
• 1 Gigabyte: A pickup truck filled with paper
  -or- A movie at TV quality
• 2 Gigabytes: 20 meters of shelved books
• 4.6 Gigabyte: a full DVD CD
• 40 Gigabytes: A large hard drive for a home PC (2000-2001)
• 80 Gigabytes: A large hard drive for a home PC  (2002-2003)
• 120 Gigabytes: A large hard drive for a home PC (2003-2004)
• 100 Gigabytes: A floor of academic journals
  
  
• Terabyte (1,099,511,627,776 bytes)
• 1 Terabyte: All the X-ray films in a large technological hospital
• 10 Terabytes: The printed collection of the US Library of Congress
   
• Petabyte (1,125,899,906,842,624 bytes)
• 1 Petabyte: 3 years of EOS data (2001)
• 200 Petabytes: All printed material
• 500 Petabytes: All online data by the year 2000
  
  
• Exabyte (1,152,921,504,606,846,976 bytes)
• 5 Exabytes: All words ever spoken by human beings.
   
• Zettabyte 1, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 bytes
  
  
• Yottabyte 1, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 bytes