Metric Prefix

A prefix appended to a unit to indicate some multiple of that unit, usually multiples of 1,000. For example:

Kilo- (K)103thousand

Mega- (M)106million

Giga- (G)109billion

Tera- (T)1012trillion

Peta- (P)1015quadrillion

Exa- (E)1018quintillion

In computing, metric prefixes are used to indicate multiple quantities of bits and bytes. For example, one kilobit is equal to approximately 1,000 bits. (Actually, since computing is based on a binary system, not a decimal one, "kilo-" is used to refer to 210, which equals 1,024, the closest number to 1,000). See Kilo-, Mega-, Giga-, Tera-, Peta-, and Exa-.

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