How many possible values can a byte hold, ranging from 0 to 255?

A byte is a unit of digital information commonly composed of 8 bits. Each bit can have a value of either 0 or 1, which means that for each of the 8 bits in a byte, there are two possible states. To find the total number of different values a byte can represent, you can calculate it by raising 2 (the number of states) to the power of 8 (the number of bits).

Mathematically, this can be expressed as: [ 2^8 = 256 ]

This calculation shows that a byte can represent 256 distinct values. When considering the typical range for these values, they can include both positive integers and zero, leading to the range of 0 to 255.

This understanding aligns with computer science and digital electronics principles, where it’s essential to note that the values start from 0 and go up to 255, thus totaling 256 possible values overall.