How many bits are in a byte, unless specified otherwise?

A byte is a standardized unit of digital information that consists of 8 bits. This standardization is critical in computer science and digital electronics, where bytes serve as the basic building blocks for data representation, including characters in text files, pixel colors in digital images, or numerical data in databases. Understanding that a byte equals 8 bits is foundational for topics ranging from memory allocation to data transmission. This convention is widely accepted across various operating systems, programming languages, and networking standards, making it a fundamental concept in digital technology.