<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Commonplace Fun Facts]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[http://commonplacefacts.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[Commonplace Fun Facts]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://commonplacefacts.com/author/mthompson9691/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[A USB Drive Becomes Lighter as You Store More Data On&nbsp;It]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img data-attachment-id="18366" data-permalink="https://commonplacefacts.com/2020/12/31/a-usb-drive-becomes-lighter-as-you-store-more-data-on-it/typorama-109/" data-orig-file="https://commonplacefacts.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/typorama-5.jpg" data-orig-size="1428,1001" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="typorama" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://commonplacefacts.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/typorama-5.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://commonplacefacts.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/typorama-5.jpg?w=1024" src="https://commonplacefacts.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/typorama-5.jpg?w=1024" alt="A USB drive becomes lighter as you store more data on it" class="wp-image-18366" srcset="https://commonplacefacts.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/typorama-5.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://commonplacefacts.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/typorama-5.jpg?w=150 150w, https://commonplacefacts.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/typorama-5.jpg?w=300 300w, https://commonplacefacts.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/typorama-5.jpg?w=768 768w, https://commonplacefacts.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/typorama-5.jpg 1428w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>



<p>Typically containers get heavier as you add to their contents. One notable exception to this is a USB memory flash drive.</p>



<!--more-->



<p>USB drives store data in binary form, using ones and zeroes on transistors. When you save data, a binary zero is set by charging the float gate of the transistor, and a binary one is set by removing the charge.</p>



<p>For each charge, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://commonplacefacts.wordpress.com/tag/electrons/" target="_blank">electrons</a> are added, tacking on 0.00000000000000000000000000091 grams per electron. </p>



<p>An empty USB drive holds mostly zeros. This means that an empty drive weighs more than a full USB drive.</p>



<p>Don’t worry about pulling a muscle by having to carry a full USB drive, though. It would take more USB drives than currently exist before the difference in weight would be noticeable.</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator" />



<div class="wp-container-1 wp-block-buttons alignwide is-content-justification-center">
<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link" href="https://commonplacefacts.wordpress.com/tag/computers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read more fun facts about computers</a></div>



<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link" href="https://commonplacefacts.wordpress.com/category/measurements/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read more fun facts about measurements</a></div>
</div>
]]></html><thumbnail_url><![CDATA[https://commonplacefacts.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/typorama-5.jpg?w=1200&fit=440%2C330]]></thumbnail_url><thumbnail_width><![CDATA[439]]></thumbnail_width><thumbnail_height><![CDATA[308]]></thumbnail_height></oembed>