How many bits are there in a byte?

A byte consists of 8 bits. This is a fundamental unit of digital information and serves as the basis for data storage and processing in computing systems. A bit, being the smallest unit of data in a computer, can represent a value of either 0 or 1. When grouped together, 8 bits form a byte, which can represent 256 different values (from 0 to 255). This capacity allows for the encoding of a single character in text, such as a letter or number, in many character encoding standards.

The recognition of a byte as consisting of 8 bits is standard across most modern computer architectures, making it a critical concept in understanding how data is represented and manipulated in technology.