Terabit (Tb) - Unit Information & Conversion
What is a Terabit?
Definition
A terabit (Tb or Tbit) is a multiple of the bit unit for digital information or computer storage. The prefix tera- (symbol T) is defined in the International System of Units (SI) as a multiplier of 1012 (1 trillion, or 1 followed by 12 zeros). Therefore, 1 terabit = 1,000,000,000,000 bits. This is equivalent to 1,000 gigabits (Gb).
History
The SI prefix 'tera-' (meaning 1012) was adopted for use in computing as data scales grew into the trillions of bits. Initially, 'tera-' was sometimes used ambiguously to refer to either 1012 or the nearest power of 2 (240). This ambiguity led the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) to introduce the binary prefix 'tebi-' (Ti) specifically for 240, clarifying that terabit (Tb) strictly refers to 1012 bits.
Common Uses
Terabits are commonly used in contexts involving high-capacity data transmission and large-scale data measurement:
- Measuring the data transfer rates of high-speed networks, internet backbones, and data center interconnects (often expressed in Tbps - terabits per second).
- Quantifying the throughput of network equipment like routers and switches.
- Describing the capacity of optical fiber communication systems.
- Sometimes used alongside terabytes (TB) in marketing large storage devices, although TB (bytes) is more common for capacity.
- Discussing large datasets in scientific computing and big data analytics, particularly concerning transmission speeds.
Unit FAQs
How many bits are in a terabit?
There are exactly 1,000,000,000,000 bits (one trillion bits, or 1012 bits) in 1 terabit (Tb), according to the standard SI definition of the prefix 'tera-'.
What is the difference between a terabit (Tb) and a terabyte (TB)?
- A terabit (Tb) measures data in bits and equals 1012 bits. It is commonly used for data transfer rates.
- A terabyte (TB) measures data in bytes. According to SI standards, it equals 1012 bytes. It is typically used for measuring storage capacity. (Note: The term tebibyte (TiB) correctly refers to 240 bytes).
Since 1 byte = 8 bits, 1 terabyte (1012 bytes) is equal to 8 x 1012 bits, or 8 terabits. Therefore, a terabyte represents 8 times more data than a terabit.
What is the difference between a terabit (Tb) and a tebibit (Tib)?
- A terabit (Tb) uses the decimal SI prefix 'tera-' and equals 1012 bits (1,000,000,000,000 bits).
- A tebibit (Tib) uses the binary IEC prefix 'tebi-' and equals 240 bits (1,099,511,627,776 bits).
A tebibit is approximately 9.95% larger than a terabit (1 Tib ≈ 1.0995 Tb). Use Tb for contexts adhering to decimal standards (like network speeds) and Tib when precise binary multiples (powers of 2) are required (often related to memory or specific storage architectures).
How many gigabits (Gb) are in a terabit (Tb)?
There are 1,000 gigabits (Gb) in 1 terabit (Tb). This is derived from the SI prefixes: 1 Tb = 1012 bits and 1 Gb = 109 bits. Therefore, 1 Tb / 1 Gb = 1012 / 109 = 103 = 1,000.
Terabit Conversion Formulas
To Bit:
To Byte:
To Kilobit:
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To Megabit:
To Megabyte:
To Gigabit:
To Gigabyte:
To Terabyte:
To Petabit:
To Petabyte:
To Exabit:
To Exabyte:
To Kibibit:
To Kibibyte:
To Mebibit:
To Mebibyte:
To Gibibit:
To Gibibyte:
To Tebibit:
To Tebibyte:
To Pebibit:
To Pebibyte:
To Exbibit:
To Exbibyte:
Convert Terabit
Need to convert Terabit to other data storage units? Use our conversion tool.