OCR GCSE Computer Science Paper 2 Practice 2025 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide

A byte consists of 8 bits. This is a standard measurement in computing and forms the basis for most data storage and processing. The term "byte" is derived from the way data is structured at a low level in computer systems, where each bit represents a binary state (either 0 or 1).

A group of 8 bits allows computers to represent a wide range of values, specifically from 0 to 255 in decimal form, enabling the encoding of many characters and symbols. This standardization also aids in data manipulation, memory allocation, and ensures compatibility between different systems and architectures.

In contrast, the other measurements provided, such as 1 bit, 4 bits, and 16 bits, do not accurately define a byte. A bit is the smallest unit of data which can only express two states, while 4 bits offers fewer combinations than a byte, and 16 bits exceeds the amount represented in a standard byte, thus defining larger data units like a word in computing.