The numerical range of each pixel, describing how many gray shades can be represented, is called what?

• A. Dynamic range
• B. Bit depth
• C. Color depth
• D. Luminance range

Answer: (A)

Gray-level resolution per pixel is determined by how many bits are used to store that pixel. Each additional bit doubles the possible gray levels, so the number of representable shades is 2 raised to the number of bits per pixel. For grayscale images, common examples are 8 bits per pixel (256 shades) or higher bit depths for smoother transitions. This per-pixel detail is described by bit depth. Dynamic range, in contrast, refers to the overall span from darkest to brightest values in the image or sensor system, not the discrete gray levels that a single pixel can represent. Color depth is related but generally refers to color images and multiple channels. So the concept describing how many gray shades per pixel can be represented is bit depth.