See Also: automaton(medicine)
automaton(dictionary)
automaton(encyclopedia)
automaton(dictionary)

bit (sh) and automaton (sh)


bit (sh)




in full binary digit

In communication and information theory, a unit of information equivalent to the result of a choice between only two possible alternatives, such as 1 and 0 in the binary code generally used in digital Computers.

It is also applied to a unit of memory corresponding to the ability to store the result of a choice between two alternatives. A byte consists of a string of eight consecutive bits and makes up the basic information processing unit of a computer. Because a byte includes only an amount of information equivalent to one letter or one symbol (e.g., a comma), the processing and storage capacities of computer Hardware are usually given in kilobytes (1,024 bytes), megabytes (1,048,576 bytes), and even gigabytes (about 1 billion bytes) and terabytes (1 trillion bytes).


automaton (sh)




Mechanical object, either functional (such as a clock) or decorative (such as a miniature singing bird), that is self-operating.

Devices set in motion by water, falling weights, and steam were in use in the 1st century. Decorative mechanical objects were made for ecclesiastical use and table ornaments in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Spectacular fountains and waterworks can be seen in 16th-century Italian gardens; elaborate mechanical devices (such as the chess-playing Turk) were popular in the 18th-19th century. Except for some works by Carl Faberge, the production of expensive automatons virtually ceased by the 20th century.