Meaning – A byte is the common unit for storage on a computer and stands for binary table. It is made up of 8 bits. When it comes to the kind of data that a single byte can hold, this is how it works out –
A single byte can hold one letter (A-Z), a single number (0-9), a special character such as a dollar sign or a dot, two “packed decimal” digits (00-99) or a binary number from 0 to 255.
The first spelling of the word was “bite,” but the y was added to avoid misspelling between “bit” and “bite.”
It is interesting to note, that while a byte traditionally holds 8 bits, a ninth bit can be added to perform a parity check.
Example of usage – “The first thing that the programmer learnt in his course, was that 8 bits make up a single byte, and that the unit for memory, even today is bytes.”
