Why are the powers of 2 worth memorizing, and how does the Major System help?

They're everywhere in computing (bytes, addresses, limits), and pegging each value to a picture makes the ladder instant recall instead of mental multiplication.

Every doubling — 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128… — marks a real boundary: a byte holds 256 values, a port number tops out at 65536, IPv4 has 2³² addresses. Instead of recomputing, you memorize each rung. For values ≥ 100, encode them the same way you'd learn any longer number: chunk into 2-digit pegs and link the images (see the Longer Numbers mission). The exponent is small enough to just count, so the payoff is knowing the value on sight.

Tip: Past 2¹⁰, each ×1024 step roughly means "add three zeros" (kilo → mega → giga), which anchors the big ones.