Mebibit (Mib) - Unit Information & Conversion
What is a Mebibit?
Definition
A mebibit (Mib) is a unit of digital information equal to 220 bits, which is exactly 1,048,576 bits. It uses the binary prefix 'mebi-' established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The mebibit is closely related to the megabit (Mb), which is defined using the decimal prefix 'mega-' (106 or 1,000,000 bits).
History
The prefix 'mebi-' (representing 220) was defined by the IEC in 1998 along with other binary prefixes (kibi-, gibi-, tebi-, etc.). This standardization aimed to eliminate the confusion caused by using SI prefixes (like kilo-, mega-, giga-) to denote both powers of 1000 (decimal) and powers of 1024 (binary) in computing contexts. The term 'mebibit' specifically refers to the 220 multiple of bits.
Common Uses
While less common in everyday usage than the megabit (Mb) – often used for network speeds (Mbps) – the mebibit is important where binary precision for bit quantities is required:
- Specifying memory chip capacities or data bus widths in technical documentation where sizes are based on powers of 2.
- Internal calculations within data communication protocols, hardware design, or software that operate on binary multiples.
- Theoretical calculations in computer science, information theory, and data transmission analysis.
- Ensuring accuracy when comparing binary (Mib) and decimal (Mb) data quantities, especially in storage and memory contexts.
Unit FAQs
How many bits are in a mebibit?
There are exactly 220 bits in 1 mebibit (Mib). This equals 1,048,576 bits.
How many kibibits (Kib) are in a mebibit (Mib)?
There are 1,024 kibibits (Kib) in 1 mebibit (Mib). This is because 1 Mib = 220 bits and 1 Kib = 210 bits, and 220 / 210 = 210 = 1,024.
What is the difference between a mebibit (Mib) and a megabit (Mb)?
A mebibit (Mib) represents 220 bits (1,048,576 bits), using the binary prefix 'mebi-'. A megabit (Mb) represents 106 bits (1,000,000 bits), using the decimal prefix 'mega-'. A mebibit is approximately 4.86% larger than a megabit (1 Mib ≈ 1.0486 Mb).
What is the difference between a mebibit (Mib) and a mebibyte (MiB)?
A mebibit (Mib) measures information in bits, while a mebibyte (MiB) measures information in bytes. Assuming the standard 1 byte = 8 bits, 1 mebibyte (MiB) is equal to 8 mebibits (Mib). Both use the binary prefix 'mebi-' (220).
Mebibit Conversion Formulas
To Bit:
To Byte:
To Kilobit:
To Kilobyte:
To Megabit:
To Megabyte:
To Gigabit:
To Gigabyte:
To Terabit:
To Terabyte:
To Petabit:
To Petabyte:
To Exabit:
To Exabyte:
To Kibibit:
To Kibibyte:
To Mebibyte:
To Gibibit:
To Gibibyte:
To Tebibit:
To Tebibyte:
To Pebibit:
To Pebibyte:
To Exbibit:
To Exbibyte:
Convert Mebibit
Need to convert Mebibit to other data storage units? Use our conversion tool.