Gigabytes per second to bits per hour conversion

How to convert gigabytes per second to bits per hour?

To convert 1 Gigabyte per second to bits per hour, you need to understand the relationships between these units and how they are defined.

Conversion in Base 10 (Decimal System)

In the decimal system used commonly in general computing and storage:

1 Gigabyte (GB) = 1,000,000,000 bytes (B) 1 Byte (B) = 8 bits (b) 1 hour (hr) = 3,600 seconds (s)

Now, convert 1 Gigabyte per second to bits per hour:

1. Convert Gigabytes to Bytes: $1 \text{ GB} = 1,000,000,000 \text{ B}$

2. Convert Bytes to bits: $1,000,000,000 \text{ B} \times 8 \text{ b/B} = 8,000,000,000 \text{ bits}$

3. Now, since 1 GB/s means 8,000,000,000 bits every second, for every second in an hour (3,600 seconds): $8,000,000,000 \text{ bits/s} \times 3,600 \text{ s/hr} = 28,800,000,000,000 \text{ bits/hr}$

So, in base 10: $1 \text{ GB/s} = 28,800,000,000,000 \text{ bits/hr} = 28.8 \text{ Tb/hr}$

Conversion in Base 2 (Binary System)

In the binary system used often in computing contexts:

1 Gibibyte (GiB) = 2^30 bytes (B) 1 Byte (B) = 8 bits (b) 1 hour (hr) = 3,600 seconds (s)

Now, convert 1 Gibibyte per second to bits per hour:

1. Convert Gibibytes to Bytes: $1 \text{ GiB} = 2^{30} \text{ B} = 1,073,741,824 \text{ B}$

2. Convert Bytes to bits: $1,073,741,824 \text{ B} \times 8 \text{ b/B} = 8,589,934,592 \text{ bits}$

3. Now, since 1 GiB/s means 8,589,934,592 bits every second, for every second in an hour (3,600 seconds): $8,589,934,592 \text{ bits/s} \times 3,600 \text{ s/hr} = 30,923,769,619,200 \text{ bits/hr}$

So, in base 2: $1 \text{ GiB/s} = 30,923,769,619,200 \text{ bits/hr} \approx 30.924 \text{ Tb/hr}$

Real-World Examples

1. Data Centers: Many data center interconnects operate at rates higher than 1 GB/s. For example, a 100 Gigabit Ethernet connection can achieve 12.5 gigabytes per second (GB/s):

   • Decimal: $12.5 \text{ GB/s} = 360,000,000,000,000 \text{ bits/hr}$
   • Binary: $12.5 \text{ GiB/s} = 386,547,569,024,000 \text{ bits/hr}$

2. Consumer Internet Speeds: High-speed consumer internet services can offer 1 Gbps speeds (125 MB/s or about 0.125 GB/s):

   • Decimal: $0.125 \text{ GB/s} = 3,600,000,000,000 \text{ bits/hr}$
   • Binary: $0.125 \text{ GiB/s} = 3,865,312,052,400 \text{ bits/hr}$

3. Hard Drive Transfer Rates: High-end SSDs with NVMe technology can transfer data at around 3,500 MB/s (3.5 GB/s):

   • Decimal: $3.5 \text{ GB/s} = 100,800,000,000,000 \text{ bits/hr}$
   • Binary: $3.5 \text{ GiB/s} = 108,233,458,688,000 \text{ bits/hr}$

Summary

The conversion depends on whether the system uses decimal (base 10) or binary (base 2) measurements. Understanding the base of the measurement system is crucial for accurate conversions in computing and data transfer contexts.