How many bits are contained in a byte?

A byte consists of eight bits. This is a fundamental unit of digital data and serves as the building block for data storage and processing in computers. In binary, each bit can represent either a 0 or a 1, which means a single byte can represent a combination of 256 different values (from 00000000 to 11111111). This classification into bytes is essential for understanding memory architecture, file sizes, and data transmission in computing. Other quantities of bits, such as four bits or six bits, are more commonly associated with smaller units (like a nibble) or less frequently used data representations and do not form the standard unit of digital information as the byte does.