Free Online kilobyte Converter
kilobyte
Definition: A kilobyte (symbol: kB) is equal to 103 bytes (1000 bytes), where a byte is a unit of digital information that consists of eight bits (binary digits).
History/origin: The kilobyte is based on the byte, which is derived from the bit, and is a unit that makes use of SI (International System of Units) prefixes. The term byte was coined in 1956 by Werner Buchholz. In 1998, the International Electrotechnical Commission defined new prefixes for the byte to be used in addition to their SI (International System of Units) counterparts, with the intent that the SI prefixes would be used when referencing 1000 bytes. The new prefixes would be used when referencing multiples of 1024 bytes (210), which is the binary definition of bytes used in information technology.
Current use: Bytes are widely used when referencing data storage, particularly storage media such as hard drives, flash-based storage, and DVDs, though these are more often presented in terms of larger multiples of bytes such as megabytes or gigabytes. Kilobytes are more commonly used for smaller files like text documents.
