Bit Bit (abbreviated ‘b’) is short for binary digit. A bit is the basic information unit in the binary numbering system, and the smallest unit of data in a computer. A single bit can have one of two values, 0 or 1, enabling the computer to detect the difference between simple states such as on/off, yes/no, etc. When combining consecutive bits into larger units more advanced information is obtained. An example of this is a byte (abbreviated ‘B’) which is made up of 8 bits.
