mebi

MeBi is a prefix used in the IEC binary prefixes system to denote a power of two. Specifically, mebi- represents 2^20, which equals 1,048,576. When combined with information units, it forms terms such as mebibyte (MiB) and mebibit (Mib).

The mebi- prefix is part of a set of binary prefixes designed to distinguish powers of two from the decimal SI prefixes. Along with kibi- (2^10) and gibi- (2^30), mebi- provides unambiguous terminology for data quantities in computing. The abbreviations are MiB for mebibyte and Mib for mebibit; bytes and bits scale accordingly (1 MiB = 1,048,576 bytes; 1 Mib = 1,048,576 bits).

Usage and terminology vary by context. In many technical documents and software, mebibytes or mebibits are used to avoid the ambiguity of megabytes or megabits, which can refer to decimal or binary bases depending on the platform. However, some devices and consumer interfaces still display sizes using the decimal prefixes (MB, GB), which can lead to confusion about actual storage capacity.

Origin and purpose: mebi- was introduced as part of the IEC binary prefixes to standardize how binary multiples are described. The system aims to improve clarity in disciplines dealing with digital information, such as computing, data storage, and networking.

See also: kibibyte (KiB), mebibyte (MiB), mebibit (Mib), gibibyte (GiB).

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