Basic terminology — how many bits are in a byte? Confirm or refute the common statement: “A byte has 8 bits.” Provide reasoning relevant to modern digital systems and memory organization.

Introduction / Context:
The term “byte” is fundamental to computing: memory sizes, data buses, and instruction sets are frequently specified in bytes. Historically, some machines used other widths, but the de facto and standardized modern definition is 8 bits per byte (also called an octet in networking standards).

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Industry-standard architectures (x86, ARM, RISC-V) define 1 byte = 8 bits.
• Networking protocols (e.g., IP) explicitly use “octet” to avoid ambiguity.
• Legacy exceptions exist historically but are not used in mainstream systems today.

Concept / Approach:
In practice, software tooling, compilers, memory modules, storage devices, and communication interfaces assume 8-bit bytes. File sizes and memory capacities are counted in 8-bit increments. Thus the statement accurately reflects modern usage and standards.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Recall: an octet is defined as 8 bits; byte aligns with octet in modern usage.Observe that char types and 8-bit registers abound in contemporary ISAs.Confirm that memory addressing typically proceeds in byte (8-bit) increments.Therefore, the statement is correct.

Verification / Alternative check:
Standards bodies and documentation (POSIX, IETF) equate octet to 8 bits; contemporary CPU manuals define a byte as 8 bits.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Limiting correctness to ASCII or to RAM ignores ubiquity across software, storage, and networking layers.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing historical word sizes with the definition of a byte; assuming “character” always equals one byte in all encodings (Unicode can be multi-byte).

Final Answer:
Correct