IPA IP 2023 Question 96
A question IPA Japan published in 令和5年度 ITパスポート試験 公開問題 問96, translated into English. ITPEC is based on the same exams.
Same question on ITPEC: Oct 2025 Q4
Which of the following is the appropriate description concerning the prefix of the International System of Units (SI) that is used to indicate CPU clock frequency, communication speed, and other such things?
Explanation
M multiplied by 10 to the power of 3 is G — the SI prefixes step up by a factor of 103: kilo, mega, giga, tera.
- •k (kilo) = 103
- •M (mega) = 106
- •G (giga) = 109
- •T (tera) = 1012
So 106 × 103 = 109: 1,000 M is 1 G, as 1,000 MHz is 1 GHz and 1,000 Mbps is 1 Gbps.
Answer (b)
Why not others:
- •(a) — G times 106 is 109 × 106 = 1015, which is P (peta); T is only 103 times G
- •(c) — M times 106 is 1012, which is T, skipping G
- •(d) — T times 103 is 1015, larger again; G is T divided by 103, not multiplied
Key rule: Each SI prefix from kilo upward is 1,000 times the one before (k, M, G, T, P), so moving one prefix up means multiplying by 103.
Basic Theory · AI-written, may contain errors
This question comes from the past questions IPA Japan publishes, translated into English by ITPEC Practice. ITPEC Practice is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with IPA or ITPEC. See the original paper (PDF) or Report an issue.