Post #2257021
2026-05-07 08:24 UTC
By chance while running some math, I realised that 1.44MB floppies are exactly 1,440 KiB in size. (calculated via their CHS as 80*2*18*512 bytes = 1,474,560 B)
Which... okay, that's weird, Ki as in kibi is 1024. So... why then is "1.44MB" working out as equivalent to 1440KiB? Because 1440 is 1.44 times 1000, not 1024.
So, all that is to say... floppy disks are ACTUALLY measured in kilo kibi bytes. Which is a weird enough unit on its own, but MUCH weirder for the world to have standardized on.
Replies (1)
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@electrocutie@plush.city 2026-05-07 09:23
@hadley@plush.city MS claims here that it was an error https://web.archive.org/web/20150408044921/http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/121839 "The misunderstanding comes from the incorrect calculation below: "1440 KB / 1000 = 1.44 MB "The calculation should be: "1440 KB / 1024 = 1.40 MB"