[tripzilch]

only when you consider bits to be the final, indivisible, fundamental unit of information.

which they aren't.

if you have a data storage thingy that can store any of three values, a ternary digit, it is exactly equivalent to log2(3) = ln(3) / ln(2) ~= 1.585 bits.

kind of like US pop-science articles like to say stuff like "a volume 1.5 olympic-size swimming pools" (because a megagallon is just weird), even though obviously, can never have half of such a pool or it would empty.

(ok after some consideration, you could have the bottom half)

[kristjankalm]

you are obviously right, but i think that in the specific case described above -- computer code -- we have binary digits as final and indivisible units.

[pixl97]

Filling the top half would be more fun

https://what-if.xkcd.com/6/