← IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

Mebibyte (MiB)

A unit of data storage equal to 1024 kibibytes (KiB). The mebi prefix means 1024 squared. A typical photo or song is a few MiB in size.

Part of: IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 1.3 Data Storage and Compression — Module 4

Understanding Mebibyte (MiB) in IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

What it does: Mebi stands for 1024 x 1024 = 1,048,576, so one mebibyte is that many bytes. A MiB is the larger unit, so you need fewer of them. Dividing the KiB value by 1024 gives the number of MiB. 1 MiB = 1024 KiB. Storage units in the IGCSE syllabus go up in steps of 1024. The order is byte, KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB. MiB comes straight after KiB, and GiB comes after MiB. KiB is a smaller unit than MiB, so you multiply by 1024 to get more KiB. A photo or a song is usually a few MiB. A few bits could not even store one letter.

Common mistakes: Going from KiB to MiB means going to a larger unit, so you divide by 1024. It should be mib ← kib / 1024. Multiplying makes the number bigger instead of smaller. The variable kib holds a value in kibibytes, so the label must be KiB, not MiB. It should be OUTPUT kib & " KiB".

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 59–68) and word search (Modules 59–84).

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Learning
Duo
How many kibibytes (KiB) are in 1 mebibyte (MiB)?
1024 KiB1000 KiB
Matches
1 MiB = 1000 KiB
↓
Storage units go up in steps of 1024, not 1000, so 1 MiB is 1024 KiB.
Applying
Meanings
Term
mebibyte (MiB)
Meaning
A unit of data storage equal to 1024 kibibytes (KiB). The mebi prefix means 1024 squared. A typical photo or song is a few MiB in size.
Practice
photoMiB ← 4
Testing
Gaps
1 MiB = KiB
Check Answer
Spots
1kib ← 3072
2mib ← kib * 1024

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Quick Questions

1. How many kibibytes (KiB) are in 1 mebibyte (MiB)?
A. 1024 KiB ✓
B. 1000 KiB
1 MiB = 1024 KiB. Storage units in the IGCSE syllabus go up in steps of 1024.
2. Which unit is the next one up from the kibibyte (KiB) on the unit ladder?
A. Mebibyte (MiB) ✓
B. Gibibyte (GiB)
The order is byte, KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB. MiB comes straight after KiB, and GiB comes after MiB.
3. Which is the correct way to convert 3 MiB into KiB?
A. 3 ÷ 1024 = 0.003 KiB
B. 3 × 1024 = 3072 KiB ✓
KiB is a smaller unit than MiB, so you multiply by 1024 to get more KiB.
4. Which size is the most likely for a typical photo or a song?
A. A few MiB ✓
B. A few bits
A photo or a song is usually a few MiB. A few bits could not even store one letter.
5. Which statement is true?
A. 1 MiB is smaller than 1 KiB
B. 1 MiB is bigger than 1 KiB ✓
The mebi unit is 1024 times bigger than the kibi unit, so 1 MiB holds 1024 KiB.

Match the Pairs

1 MiB = 1024 KiB → One mebibyte is made of 1024 kibibytes, so going up from KiB to MiB means dividing by 1024.
MiB → The symbol for mebibyte, a unit often used for the size of a photo or a song.
The mebi prefix means 1024 squared, so 1 MiB is 1024 x 1024 bytes. → 1 MiB = 1024 * 1024 bytes
To change a size in KiB into MiB, divide by 1024. → MiB = KiB / 1024
1 MiB = 1000 KiB → Storage units go up in steps of 1024, not 1000, so 1 MiB is 1024 KiB.
2048 KiB = 2048 * 1024 MiB → Converting from KiB to the larger unit MiB needs a division by 1024, not a multiplication. The correct answer is 2 MiB.

Key Term

mebibyte (MiB)
A unit of data storage equal to 1024 kibibytes (KiB). The mebi prefix means 1024 squared. A typical photo or song is a few MiB in size.

Fill in the Blanks

1. 1 MiB = 1024 KiB
Hint: Type the number of kibibytes that make one mebibyte.
2. 1 MiB = 1024 KiB
Hint: Type the abbreviation of the smaller unit that is one step below the mebibyte.
3. 1 MiB = 1024 KiB
Hint: Type the abbreviation of the unit that is equal to 1024 kibibytes.
4. 3 MiB = 3 x 1024 = 3072 KiB
Hint: Multiply the number of mebibytes by the conversion factor and type the result.
5. 2048 KiB / 1024 = 2 MiB
Hint: Divide the kibibytes by the conversion factor and type the number of mebibytes.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A kib ← 3072
B mib ← kib * 1024
C OUTPUT mib
Line B — Going from KiB to MiB means going to a larger unit, so you divide by 1024. It should be mib ← kib / 1024. Multiplying makes the number bigger instead of smaller.
Question 2
A mib ← 5
B kib_per_mib ← 1024
C kib ← mib * kib_per_mib
D OUTPUT kib & " MiB"
Line D — The variable kib holds a value in kibibytes, so the label must be KiB, not MiB. It should be OUTPUT kib & " KiB".
Question 3
A photoMiB ← 4
B photoKiB ← photoMiB * 1000
C OUTPUT photoKiB
Line B — 1 MiB is 1024 KiB, not 1000 KiB. Storage units use 1024, so it should be photoMiB * 1024.
Question 4
A mib ← 2
B kib ← mib * 1024
C bytes ← kib * 1024
D OUTPUT bytes & " KiB"
Line D — The variable bytes holds a number of bytes, so the label must say bytes, not KiB. It should be OUTPUT bytes & " bytes".
Question 5
A photo_kib = 4096
B photo_mib = photo_kib / 1024
C print(photo_mib, 'KiB')
Line C — photo_mib was found by dividing KiB by 1024, so it is measured in MiB. The label should be 'MiB', not 'KiB'.

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