Skip to main content
bits per second

bits per second

1 2.8
A unit that shows how many small pieces of information called bits are sent every second
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : bits por segundo
  • For most wireless or wireline channels, you are able to send lots of bits per second per Hertz.
  • million bits per second
  • About bits per second

And you get more BPS, more bits per second using multiple clicks because it's more difficult.

Examples

  • Modern smartphones can transmit data at speeds exceeding 300 megabits per second.

  • The new fiber-optic connection allows us to download data at a speed of 1,000 bits per second.

  • About 50 bits per second is the estimate of the experts.

    Academic text (1991)
  • And you get more BPS, more bits per second using multiple clicks because it's more difficult.

  • But InfiniBand is cheaper per bit per second than Ethernet and it's winning in a lot of markets.

  • The modem should transfer information at least 14,400 bits per second (bps).

    Academic text (1995)
  • Our senses can handle about 11 million bits per second (Zimmerman 1989; see Norretranders, 1998, for a detailed analysis).

    Academic text (2005)
  • For AT&T customers with newer smartphones or tablet computers, the upgrade to full 4G means download speeds should triple to about 12 million bits per second.

    Blog text (21)
  • The failure of Galileo's high-gain antenna to deploy reduced the craft's ability to transmit data back to Earth from 10,000 bits per second down to 8 bps.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The satellite link offers a maximum speed of 15,000 bits per second for internet access.

Synonyms

bitrate
vsbits per second
  • Specialized
2 4.2

The speed at which digital data is sent or processed in bits per second

names the formal unit used to express that measured speed
bit rate
vsbits per second
  • Specialized
1 4.1

The number of bits sent or processed each second in audio and video files

is the general unit not limited to media or file use
bps
vsbits per second
  • Specialized
1 3.8

A count of how many bits of data are sent each second

has identical meaning and defines that same time based unit
Mbps
vsbits per second
  • Specialized
3.7

A measure of internet speed showing millions of bits per second

is the general unit covering all magnitudes rather than this scale
Gbps
vsbits per second
  • Specialized
4.9

A measure of internet speed equal to one billion bits per second

is the general unit covering all magnitudes rather than this scale
kbps
vsbits per second
  • Specialized
3.5

A measure of internet data speed equal to one thousand bits per second

is the general unit covering all magnitudes rather than this scale

How Fast

terabit
  • Specialized
1 5.1
gigabit
  • Specialized
3 4.0
megabit
  • Specialized
2 3.7
bits per second
  • Specialized
1 2.8
kbps
  • Specialized
3.5

Surface Forms

Morphology

bit + per + second

The phrase is a straightforward compositional rate construction: 'bit' (unit of information) + 'per' (indicating rate) + 'second' (time unit) yields 'number of bits transmitted each second.' This noun + per + time-unit pattern (e.g. miles per hour, words per minute) is cross-linguistically common, so an average B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The phrase bits per second comes from early computing as a simple way to say how fast data moves. It literally counts how many bits, the smallest pieces of information that are 0 or 1, pass in each second, like saying 'miles per hour' for tiny pieces of data, so it means the 'data speed' of a connection.