Students should know that the term pixel is short for picture element. A…

The idea

This statement fixes the core vocabulary for representing images. The word pixel is an abbreviation of picture element, and a pixel is a single point in an image. That single point carries one colour, stored as a binary code, and many pixels arranged in a grid together form the whole picture. Because each pixel is the smallest element, the total number of pixels (width in pixels multiplied by height in pixels) tells you how much detail the image can hold. In a multiple-choice question you may be asked to pick the correct expansion of the term or to identify which description of a pixel is accurate, so learn both parts: the abbreviation and the meaning of a single point.

What earns the marks

• The term pixel is short for picture element.
• A pixel is a single point in an image.
• A pixel holds one colour, represented by a binary code.
• Pixels are arranged in a grid, and the grid of pixels makes up the whole image.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Expanding pixel as 'picture cell' or 'picture unit'.

  Put it right by remembering the exact expansion, picture element.

• Describing a pixel as a group or block of colours rather than a single point.

  Put it right by stressing that one pixel is one point with one colour.

• Confusing pixel with resolution.

  Put it right by treating resolution as the number of pixels, while a pixel is the individual point.

Exam tips

• Memorise the exact expansion: picture element.
• In multiple-choice questions, eliminate options that describe a pixel as more than a single point.
• Link the definition to a grid example so you can justify your choice.