How many bytes are in 1 megabyte?

The correct answer identifies that 1 megabyte is equivalent to 2 to the 20 bytes. This is based on the binary definition of a megabyte, which is commonly used in computing. In binary terms, a kilobyte is defined as 1024 bytes (2 to the 10), so when we calculate a megabyte, we are essentially multiplying 1024 bytes by itself or, more precisely, raising 2 to the power of 20 (since 1 megabyte = 1024 kilobytes, and 1 kilobyte = 1024 bytes).

This results in:

[

1024 \text{ KB} = 1024 \times 1024 = 2^{20} \text{ bytes.}

]

Thus, recognizing that 1 megabyte corresponds to 2 to the 20 bytes aligns with the common binary standard used in computer science and data storage to measure quantities.

The other options do not accurately reflect the conventional definition of a megabyte in computing. For instance, 1000 bytes is far less than a megabyte, and both 1024 bytes and 2048 bytes do not represent a complete megabyte. Instead, they are part of the overall