How many possibilities are there in one byte?

In computer science, a byte consists of 8 bits. Each bit can have two possible values: 0 or 1. To determine the total number of possibilities for a byte, you can calculate it using the formula for combinations of bits, which is (2^n), where (n) is the number of bits.

For a byte:

• (n = 8)

• The calculation then becomes (2^8), which equals 256.

Consequently, there are 256 distinct combinations or possibilities you can achieve with one byte of data. This includes all variations from 00000000 (which represents the decimal value 0) to 11111111 (which represents the decimal value 255). This understanding is fundamental in computer processes, as it encompasses character encoding, memory address calculations, and data storage representation.