How many bits make one byte?

One byte consists of 8 bits. This standard definition is foundational in computer science and digital electronics. A bit, which is short for "binary digit," can hold a value of either 0 or 1. When bits are grouped together to form a byte, they can represent 256 different values (from 0 to 255), enabling the representation of a wide variety of data, including characters, numbers, and symbols.

This concept is key in understanding how computers process and store information. Each additional bit exponentially increases the amount of data that can be represented, which is why bytes consist of 8 bits rather than fewer or more. The organization of data in bytes is also critical when addressing memory allocation and data transfer in computing systems, contributing to why the byte is considered a basic unit of data.