Question 1

Why does data storage have both KB and KiB?

Accepted Answer

They measure the same thing - a multiple of bytes - but disagree on the multiplier. KB, MB, and GB are decimal (powers of 1000), which is how storage manufacturers and most software advertise capacity. KiB, MiB, and GiB are binary (powers of 1024), which is closer to how memory and some operating systems actually report size. The gap between the two grows with scale - a 1 TB drive is about 931 GiB.

Question 2

How accurate are these conversions?

Accepted Answer

The conversion factors used here match internationally standardized definitions (the exact meter-to-foot and kilogram-to-pound ratios, for example), so results are accurate to several decimal places. Month and year, in the time category, use the average Gregorian calendar length (365.25-day year) since a calendar month doesn't have one fixed length.

Question 3

Why isn't temperature just a ratio like the other categories?

Accepted Answer

Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Kelvin don't share a common zero point - 0°C is 32°F and 273.15 K, not 0 in either. So converting temperature needs an offset as well as a scale factor, unlike length or weight, where doubling the input always doubles the output.

Question 4

What's the difference between mph and knots in the speed category?

Accepted Answer

Both measure distance over time, but they're built on different definitions of a mile. Miles per hour uses the standard mile (1609.344 meters), while a knot is one nautical mile (1852 meters) per hour - the unit sailors and pilots use. That's why 1 knot works out to about 1.15 mph instead of being interchangeable with it.

Question 5

Why do unit symbols like km, kg, or GB stay the same in every language?

Accepted Answer

Unit symbols are internationally standardized, so 'km' means the same thing whether the page is in English, Turkish, or Japanese - translating them would make them harder to recognize, not easier. Only the surrounding labels, like category names and this FAQ, are translated into each language; the symbols themselves come straight from the underlying units.

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