<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The bit (a portmanteau of binary digit) is a basic unit of information used in computing and digital communications . A binary digit can have only one of two values, and may be physically represented with a two - state device . These state values are most commonly represented as either a 0or1 . </P> <P> The two values of a binary digit can also be interpreted as logical values (true / false, yes / no), algebraic signs (+ / −), activation states (on / off), or any other two - valued attribute . The correspondence between these values and the physical states of the underlying storage or device is a matter of convention, and different assignments may be used even within the same device or program . The length of a binary number may be referred to as its bit - length . </P>

The smallest piece of data that can be represented by a computer