Bit rate
The bit rate is the number of bits that are transmitted per second over the wire.
For example, if we have a bit rate of 9600, that means that there are 9600 bits transmitted per second.
The bit rate is different from the baud rate, which is the number of signal changes per second. The bit rate can be higher than the baud rate if we use a modulation scheme which lets us encode more than just one bit in every signal change.
The bit rate is the thing that determines how fast the data is transmitted, e.g. your internet speed, or the speed of a USB connection, etc. The higher the bit rate, the faster the data is transmitted (usually).
Calculating bit rate
Section titled “Calculating bit rate”If we know the baud rate and the number of bits per signal change, we can calculate the bit rate using the formula: