How many bits are in a byte?

A byte consists of 8 bits, which is the standard measurement used in computer science and digital communications. This grouping allows for the representation of various data formats, including characters in text encoding systems. Since a byte is composed of 8 bits, it can represent 256 different values (from 0 to 255) when considered as an unsigned integer. This is fundamental in computing, particularly in areas like memory addressing and data processing, where bytes serve as the basic unit for data storage and manipulation. Understanding this concept is crucial for grasping more advanced topics in information technology, such as data types, file sizes, and networking.