Bytes v/s Octets v/s Nibble

The term byte initially meant the smallest addressable unit of memory. In the past, 5-,6-,7-,8-, and 9-bit bytes have all been individual bits (bit-addressed machine) or that could only address 16-or 32-bit quantities (bit-addressed machine).The term byte was usually not used at all in connection with bit- and word-addressed machines. However, term octet always refers to an 8-bit quantity. Today, it mostly used in the field of computer networking, where computers with different bytes widths might have to communicate.

A nibble is a four-bit aggregation, or half an octet. As a nibble contains 4 bits, there are sixteen (24) possible values, so a nibble corresponds to a single hexadecimal digit (thus, it is often referred to as a “hex digit” or “hexit”


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