Numbers To Know easy
If your application needs to store exactly 1 KB of metadata for each of its 1 Million users, what is the total storage required?
- A 1 TB (Terabyte)
- B 1 GB (Gigabyte)
- C 100 MB (Megabytes)
- D 10 GB (Gigabytes)
Answer: B. 1 GB (Gigabyte)
This follows the fundamental powers of 10 (or 2) in computing: $1,000 (Kilo) \times 1,000,000 (Mega) = 1,000,000,000 (Giga)$. Therefore, 1 KB per million users equals exactly 1 GB of data. Being able to multiply these prefixes instantly in your head (Kilo x Mega = Giga, Mega x Mega = Tera) allows you to perform rapid capacity planning during high-stakes design reviews without losing momentum. This specific metric is a great 'reality check' when estimating the costs and infrastructure needs for a growing user base.
One system design question a day, with spaced repetition so the ones you miss come back.
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