trit unit
/trit/ (By analogy with "bit") One base-3 digit; the amount of information conveyed by a selection among one of three equally likely outcomes. Trits arise, for example, in the context of a flag that should actually be able to assume *three* values - such as yes, no, or unknown. Trits are sometimes jokingly called "3-state bits". A trit may be semi-seriously referred to as "a bit and a half", although it is linearly equivalent to 1.5849625 bits (that is, log2(3) bits).
[The Jargon File]
(1995-05-11)