<div dir="ltr">Hello, commuters.<div><br></div><div>In the 2014 SD exam, section C, Q8, an innocuous question is asked about 'megabytes'. I wonder if the question realises the quandary it creates...<div><br></div><div>The current 'official' IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) definition of a 'megabyte' is exactly 1,000,000 bytes, so the answer to C8 is <b>6.0</b> and <b>20.0</b> respectively.</div><div><br></div><div>But using the traditional (and industry standard) interpretation of a 'megabyte' - now charmingly known as a Mebibyte (MiB) - as being 1,048,576 bytes results in answers of <b>5.7</b> and <b>19.0</b>.</div><div><br></div><div>Paula: what is VCAA's official stance on the definition of kilo, mega etc in VCE IT exams? </div><div><br></div><div>Will the markers accept '19' as an answer to C8 part 2? </div><div><br></div><div>P.S. According to <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Mebibyte">urbandictionary.com</a>, a Mebibyte is "A new, weird and unnecessary unit of data capacity, created by some idiots of IEC and aggressively advertised on Wikipedia. 1 Mebibyte equals 0.9765625 Megabytes and serves no purpose other than confusing people".<br></div><div><div><br></div><div>Urbandictionary.com is right in its sentiment, but wrong in detail. A <b>new</b> 'megabyte' is 1,000,000 bytes. The <b>old</b> megabyte is now called a Mebibyte and is 1,048,576 bytes. That's what's confusing: IEC has redefined an old, accepted unit, introduced a new unit that no-one wants to use, and now chaos reigns because no-one now knows what someone means when they say "megabyte".</div><div><br></div><div><div>Let the fun begin.<br></div><div></div><div><br></div>-- <br></div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><br></div><div>Mark Kelly</div><div>mark AT vceit DOT com</div><div><a href="http://vceit.com" target="_blank">http://vceit.com</a></div><div><br></div><div><i>I love the sound of people's voices after they stop talking.</i></div><div><br></div></div></div></div>
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