Units and File Extensions
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Before the general units are explained, the basic unit must be discussed. The most simple measure of digital data is a bit (short for binary digit). You would already be aware of how digital data is formed using a series of 0s and 1s (see if this is totally new to you (Analogue and Digital Data). In instance of a hard drive, one bit of data refers to the magnetic state at a certain point, which would be either 0 (not magnetic) or 1 (magnetic).
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To give an extent on how big some of these units are, one zettabyte is about how much data was produced in 2009; this is equivalent of a stack of DVDs reaching from Earth to the Moon and back.
File Extensions used to Store Data
There are different forms of data; videos, text, graphics… For every type of file there is a unique file extension which tells the user what kind of file it is. All data is categorised and displayed in some file format or another. File extensions specify what kind of file it is (graphic, text, video) and what software is used to open the file. It is important to realise that some files can be opened using more than one kind of program. For example, .asf is short for Advanced Systems Format and can be opened using any video playing software such as QuickTime.
File Extensions used to Store Data
There are different forms of data; videos, text, graphics… For every type of file there is a unique file extension which tells the user what kind of file it is. All data is categorised and displayed in some file format or another. File extensions specify what kind of file it is (graphic, text, video) and what software is used to open the file. It is important to realise that some files can be opened using more than one kind of program. For example, .asf is short for Advanced Systems Format and can be opened using any video playing software such as QuickTime.