Home Definitions 16-Bit Webopedia Staff Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Refers to the number of bits that can be processed or transmitted in parallel, or the number of bits used for single element in a data format. The term is often applied to the following: microprocessor: indicates the width of the registers. A 16-bit microprocessor can process data and memory addresses that are represented by 16 bits. bus : indicates the number of wires in the bus. A 16-bit bus transmits 16 bits in parallel. graphics device, such as a scanner or digital camera : specifies the number of bits used to represent each pixel. operating system: refers primarily to the number of bits used to represent memory addresses. Windows 3.x is a 16-bit operating system, whereas Windows 95 and Windows NT are 32-bit operating systems. expansion board: refers to how much data can be sent to and from the card in parallel. 8-bit cards are sometimes called half-size cards whereas 16-bit cards are referred to as full-size cards. Related Terms Software-Defined Infrastructure Definition & Meaning Software-Defined Storage (SDS) Definition & Meaning Enumerated Type Definition & Meaning Dynamic Infrastructure Definition & Meaning Converged Infrastructure Definition & Meaning Rate Limiting Definition & Meaning IAM Definition & Meaning Href Definition & Meaning Patch Management Definition & Meaning Algorithm Definition & Meaning Previous articleSponsored PostNext articleBSI – National Standards Body of the UK Webopedia Staff Top Articles Huge List Of Texting and Online Chat Abbreviations Reference Vangie Beal - January 4, 2010 1 From A3 to ZZZ we list 1,559 text message and online chat abbreviations to help you translate and understand today's texting lingo. Includes Top... Read more How To Create A Desktop Shortcut To A Website Reference Vangie Beal - April 23, 2014 0 This Webopedia guide will show you how to create a desktop shortcut to a website using Firefox, Chrome or Internet Explorer (IE). Creating a desktop... Read more The History Of Windows Operating Systems Insights Vangie Beal - January 16, 2012 0 Microsoft Windows is a family of operating systems. We look at the history of Microsoft's Windows operating systems (Windows OS) from 1985 to present... Read more Hotmail [Outlook] Email Accounts Definitions Kaiti Norton - January 4, 2010 2 By Vangie Beal Hotmail is one of the first public webmail services that can be accessed from any web browser. Prior to Hotmail and its... Read more Related Articles Definitions Legacy Code Definition &... Legacy code refers to source code that has been inherited from a previous... Kaiti Norton - January 25, 2021 0 Read more Definitions Unregulated Power Supply Definition... An unregulated power supply is a system that transforms input voltage into direct... Jenna Phipps - January 22, 2021 0 Read more Definitions Cybersecurity Awareness Training Definition... Cybersecurity awareness training informs employees of the attack surfaces and vectors in their... Jenna Phipps - January 21, 2021 0 Read more