The following list is a collection of estimates of the quantities of data contained by the various media.


  • Bits
  • 1 bit: A binary decision

  • Bytes (8 Bits)
  • 1 byte: A single character
  • 10 bytes: A single word
  • 100 bytes: A sentence

  • Kilobyte (1024 Bytes)
  • 1 Kilobyte: A page of text
  • 10 Kilobytes: The size of this web page
  • 100 Kilobytes: A compressed computer image OR a long essay

  • Megabyte (1024 Kilobyte)
  • 1 Megabyte: A small novel OR A 3.5 inch floppy disk
  • 2 Megabytes: A high resolution photograph
  • 5 Megabytes: The complete works of Shakespeare
  • 10 Megabytes: A minute of high-fidelity sound
  • 100 Megabytes: 1 meter of shelved books
  • 500 Megabytes: A CD-ROM

  • Gigabyte (1024 Megabyte)
  • 1 Gigabyte: A symphony in high-fidelity sound OR A movie at TV quality
  • 2 Gigabytes: 20 meters of shelved books
  • 10 Gigabytes: A good collection of the works of Beethoven
  • 20 Gigabytes: A VHS tape used for digital data
  • 50 Gigabytes: A floor of books
  • 100 Gigabytes: A floor of academic journals

  • Terabyte (1024 Gigabyte)
  • 1 Terabyte: 50000 trees made into paper and printed
  • 2 Terabytes: An academic research library
  • 10 Terabytes: The printed collection of the US Library of Congress
  • 100 Terabytes: The entire internet

  • Petabyte (1024 Terabyte)
  • 1 Petabyte: 3 years of EOS data
  • 10 Petabytes: All US academic research libraries
  • 100 Petabytes: All printed material

  • Exabyte (1024 Petabyte)
  • 1 Exabytes: All words ever spoken by human beings.

  • Zettabyte (1024 Exabyte)

  • Yottabyte (1024 Zettabyte)
  • 1 Yottabyte: Everything that there is