Bit
A binary digit, or bit, is the smallest amount of information that can be stored or transmitted digitally by electrical, optical, magnetic, or other means. A single bit can take on one of two states: On/Off, Low/High, Asserted/Deasserted, etc. It is represented numerically by the numerals 1 (one) and 0 (zero). A byte, containing 8 bits, can represent 256 different states. The binary number 11010111, for example, has the value of 215 in our base 10 numbering system. When a value is carried digitally, each additional bit of resolution will double the number of different states that can be represented. Systems that operate with a greater number of bits of resolution, or quantization, will be able to capture a signal with more detail or fidelity. Thus, a video digitizer with 12 bits of resolution will capture 4 times as much detail as one with 10 bits.