In data measurement, how many bytes are in a megabyte?

A megabyte is defined as 1,048,576 bytes because it is based on the binary system used in computing. In this context, a megabyte is calculated as 2 raised to the power of 20 (2^20), which equals 1,048,576. This binary interpretation is widely used in information technology contexts and aligns with how data is processed and stored in computers.

The answers that reference 1,024 and 1,000 are approximations and can create confusion. For instance, while 1,024 bytes is equivalent to 1 kilobyte (2^10), 1,000 bytes is a metric corresponding to the base-10 system and is not accurate for megabytes in the context of computer memory. Similarly, 10,000 does not accurately represent relationships between bytes and megabytes, as it does not conform to either the binary or the decimal definitions applied in IT measurements.

Therefore, identifying 1,048,576 as the number of bytes in a megabyte accurately reflects the standard used in computing for binary data measurement.