What does the prefix "giga" signify in terms of powers of ten?

What does the prefix "giga" signify in terms of powers of ten?

• A. 10^6
• B. 10^9
• C. 10^12
• D. 10^15

Answer: (B)

The prefix "giga" signifies a factor of 10 raised to the power of 9. This means that when you see "giga" in measurements, such as gigahertz (GHz) or gigabyte (GB), it represents one billion, or \(1,000,000,000\). In the International System of Units (SI), it is standardized that "giga" denotes \(10^9\), making it easier to express large quantities succinctly. Understanding this helps in various engineering contexts, such as when dealing with data transfer rates or storage sizes, as it allows for clear communication of these large values without needing to write out the full numeric form.

The prefix "giga" signifies a factor of 10 raised to the power of 9. This means that when you see "giga" in measurements, such as gigahertz (GHz) or gigabyte (GB), it represents one billion, or (1,000,000,000). In the International System of Units (SI), it is standardized that "giga" denotes (10^9), making it easier to express large quantities succinctly.

Understanding this helps in various engineering contexts, such as when dealing with data transfer rates or storage sizes, as it allows for clear communication of these large values without needing to write out the full numeric form.