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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><title>trit</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="../../jargon.css" type="text/css"/><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.61.0"/><link rel="home" href="../index.html" title="The Jargon File"/><link rel="up" href="../T.html" title="T"/><link rel="previous" href="treeware.html" title="treeware"/><link rel="next" href="trivial.html" title="trivial"/></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">trit</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="treeware.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">T</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="trivial.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr/></div><dt><a id="trit"/><dt xmlns="" id="trit"><b>trit</b>: <span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="pronunciation">/trit/</span>, <span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="grammar">n.</span></dt></dt><dd><p> [by analogy with <span class="firstterm">bit</span>] One
base-3 digit; the amount of information conveyed by a selection among one
of three equally likely outcomes (see also <a href="../B/bit.html"><i class="glossterm">bit</i></a>).
Trits arise, for example, in the context of a <a href="../F/flag.html"><i class="glossterm">flag</i></a>
that should actually be able to assume <span class="emphasis"><em>three</em></span> values
&#8212; such as yes, no, or unknown. Trits are sometimes jokingly called
<span class="firstterm">3-state bits</span>. A trit may be
semi-seriously referred to as <span class="firstterm">a bit and a
half</span>, although it is linearly equivalent to 1.5849625 bits (that
is, log_{2$(3)} bits).</p></dd><div class="navfooter"><hr/><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="treeware.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="../T.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="trivial.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">treeware </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="../index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> trivial</td></tr></table></div></body></html>