Which of the following is a valid bit depth that digital detectors can capture?

• A. 9 bits
• B. 8 bits
• C. 11 bits
• D. 13 bits

Answer: (B)

Bit depth is how many distinct brightness levels per pixel a digital detector can record. In practice, imaging systems use standard depths that hardware and software can support across the whole pipeline—from acquisition to display. The depth in question is the one that aligns with those widely supported hardware capabilities, so it’s directly usable in typical detectors and downstream components without special configurations.

That compatibility is why it’s the best choice: it represents a depth that most detectors are designed to capture and that displays and processing workflows assume. The other options describe nonstandard or less commonly supported depths, which would require unusual hardware or extra processing to work, making them impractical in a typical imaging setup.