Most significant bit
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Msb.JPG
Msb.JPG
The binary representation of decimal 149, with the MSB highlighted. The MSB in an 8-bit binary number represents a value of 128 decimal. The LSB represents a value of 1.
In computing, the most significant bit (MSB) is the bit position in a binary number having the greatest value. The MSB is sometimes referred to as the left-most bit.
In referencing specific bits within a binary number, each bit is assigned a bit number, ranging from zero to n (depending on the number of bits in the number.) The phrase bit zero may refer to either the least significant bit (LSB) or the MSB, depending on the endianness.
By extension, the most significant bits (plural) are the bits of the number closest to, and including, the MSB.
MSB can also stand for "most significant byte".