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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">There’s a disaster waiting to happen. I guess we all remember how unit confusion plunged a Mars rover vehicle into the dust on landing. Luckily no lives were
involved, just time, money, carreers and creativity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Laurie<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""> sofdev-bounces@edulists.com.au [mailto:sofdev-bounces@edulists.com.au]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Robert Hind<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, 17 November 2014 6:32 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Year 12 Software Development Teachers' Mailing List<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Year 12 SofDev] SD exam - C8 - Megabyte, Mebibyte?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks Mark for the update to my knowledge - re the Mebibyte.
<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">I am sufficiently old that the traditional definition of Megabyte as 2^20 bytes is the one that sticks in my mind. After all modern computers are based on binary rather than decimal arithmetic. Have seen the IEC definition referred to as
"Japanese Megabyte" in some forums.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Robert Hind<br>
Retired<br>
Ex Traralgon and Ashwood<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">----- Original Message -----
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:#E4E4E4"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">
<a href="mailto:mark@vceit.com" title="mark@vceit.com">Mark</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">To:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">
<a href="mailto:sofdev@edulists.com.au" title="sofdev@edulists.com.au">Year 12 Software Development Teachers' Mailing List</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sent:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> Monday, November 17, 2014 5:05 PM<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Subject:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> [Year 12 SofDev] SD exam - C8 - Megabyte, Mebibyte?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Hello, commuters. <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">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...
<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">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>.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Paula: what is VCAA's official stance on the definition of kilo, mega etc in VCE IT exams? <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Will the markers accept '19' as an answer to C8 part 2? <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">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".<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">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".<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Let the fun begin.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">-- <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Mark Kelly<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">mark AT vceit DOT com<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://vceit.com" target="_blank">http://vceit.com</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><i>I love the sound of people's voices after they stop talking.</i><o:p></o:p></p>
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