Is This Bad Math or Simply SOME Nerd Calculation?

[moviebuff2]

I went to McAfee's web site to test my internet connection speed.

Since I have DSL, McAfee site performed the test by sending me a 600.005-KB file and measured the time it took my connection to download.

Well, it took 0.55 seconds to finish downloading the above file (600.005 KB).

McAfee uses the following formula to determine my connection speed as "over 2MB/second" (see attached picture):

Amount of data
Time to download

Would somebody please explain to me how 600.005 KB divided by 0.55 seconds results in more than 2MB/second?

The best result I can get from this calculation is approximately 1,100 KB/second, which is far less than 2,000 KB/second (2MB/second).

Is this simply a bad math or what?

[neomaine]

I can't see the picture very well due to the compression, but it looks like there's an explanation of MB vs Mb. That is, MegaBytes vs. MegaBits. You answer lies in that explanation.

[MeDiCo_BrUjO]

www.speakeasy.net/speedtest

Better.

[moviebuff2]

Thanks for the site, MeDiCo_BrUjO

The download speed is still 2MB. So I think that's the speed I have.

neomanie, McAfee just explained that MB and Mb are used interchangeably in that paragraph.

[gadgetguy]

McAfee just explained that MB and Mb are used interchangeably in that paragraph.

That is not what it says. McAfee clearly explains that MBps and Mbps are two different things. MegaBytes per second and Megabits per second.
(KBps and Kbps are also explained)

[moviebuff2]

Thanks, gadgetguy.

I see where I misunderstood the whole thing now.

Please tell me if this is the correct way to interpret the McAffe's result:

1 Byte = 8 bits

600KB = 600,000 Bytes = 4,800,000 bits

4,800,000 bits in 0.55 second equals approximately 9,600,000 bits in one (1) second, or...

9.6Mbps (megabits per second) which is greater than... ...2Mbps.

No bad math!

[gadgetguy]

Looks right to me, but be aware that 600KB = 600,000B is not necessarily correct depending on whether K = 1000 or 1024 (and they don't make that clear), but either way your speed exceeds 2Mbps so it would be reported the same by McAfee