Which of the following accurately defines 1 megabyte (MB)?

1 megabyte (MB) is accurately defined as 2^20 bytes. This is important because it aligns with the binary system used in computing, where measurements of digital information are typically based on powers of two.

In the context of data storage and memory, the distinction between megabytes and other units like kilobytes (2^10 bytes) or gigabytes (2^30 bytes) is crucial for understanding how data is quantified. Each step in this hierarchy represents a significant increase in capacity, with megabytes sitting between kilobytes and gigabytes in the scale of data measurement.

To clarify further, 2^10 bytes constitutes a kilobyte (KB), while 2^30 bytes corresponds to a gigabyte (GB). Thus, knowing that 1 MB equals 2^20 bytes helps to readily convert and manage different data sizes in computing tasks. This context reinforces the significance of the correct definition for practical applications in information technology.