Conversion Calculations - Step by Step
Part of Storage Units — GCSE Computer Science
This key facts covers Conversion Calculations - Step by Step within Storage Units for GCSE Computer Science. Revise Storage Units in Memory & Storage for GCSE Computer Science with 15 exam-style questions and 18 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 5 of 9 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 5 of 9
Practice
15 questions
Recall
18 flashcards
Conversion Calculations - Step by Step
Method 1: Converting UP (smaller to larger units)
Divide by 1,024 for each step up
- Bytes → KB: Divide by 1,024
- KB → MB: Divide by 1,024
- MB → GB: Divide by 1,024
- GB → TB: Divide by 1,024
Example 1: Convert 5,120 KB to MB
5,120 KB ÷ 1,024 = 5 MB
Example 2: Convert 3,072 MB to GB
3,072 MB ÷ 1,024 = 3 GB
Method 2: Converting DOWN (larger to smaller units)
Multiply by 1,024 for each step down
- TB → GB: Multiply by 1,024
- GB → MB: Multiply by 1,024
- MB → KB: Multiply by 1,024
- KB → Bytes: Multiply by 1,024
Example 3: Convert 2 GB to MB
2 GB × 1,024 = 2,048 MB
Example 4: Convert 4 MB to bytes
4 MB × 1,024 = 4,096 KB
4,096 KB × 1,024 = 4,194,304 bytes
Shortcut: Jumping Multiple Levels
- MB → Bytes: Multiply by 1,024 × 1,024 = 1,048,576
- GB → Bytes: Multiply by 1,024 × 1,024 × 1,024 = 1,073,741,824
- Bytes → MB: Divide by 1,048,576
Example 5: Convert 500,000,000 bytes to MB
500,000,000 ÷ 1,048,576 ≈ 476.84 MB