Editing Megabyte (section)

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{{Short description|Multiple of the unit byte}}
{{About|the decimal unit of data|binary unit of 1024{{sup|2}} bytes|mebibyte|other uses}}
{{Redirect|MByte|the battery electric car from ''Byton''|Byton M-Byte}}
{{Distinguish|megabit}}
{{Quantities of bytes}}
The '''megabyte''' is a multiple of the unit [[byte]] for digital information. Its recommended unit symbol is '''MB'''.  The unit prefix ''mega'' is a multiplier of {{gaps|1|000|000}} (10<sup>6</sup>) in the [[International System of Units]] (SI).<ref name=bipm>{{cite web|url=http://www.bipm.org/en/si/si_brochure/chapter3/prefixes.html |title=SI Prefixes | website =  Bureau international des poids et mesures |access-date=June 1, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607000414/http://www.bipm.org/en/si/si_brochure/chapter3/prefixes.html |archive-date=June 7, 2007 }}</ref> Therefore, one megabyte is one million bytes of information. This definition has been incorporated into the [[International System of Quantities]].

In the computer and information technology fields, other definitions have been used that arose for historical reasons of convenience. A common usage has been to designate one megabyte as {{gaps|1|048|576|bytes}} (2<sup>20</sup> B), a quantity that conveniently expresses the binary architecture of digital computer memory. Standards bodies have deprecated this binary usage of the mega- prefix in favor of a new set of [[binary prefixes]],<ref name="NIST">{{cite web |title=Definitions of the SI units: The binary prefixes |publisher=[[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] |url=http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html }}</ref> by means of which the quantity 2<sup>20</sup> B is named [[mebibyte]] (symbol MiB).