How many decimal values can eight bits of data represent?

An eight-bit binary number can represent a range of values determined by the number of different combinations that can be formed with eight bits. Each bit can be either a 0 or a 1, so for eight bits, the total number of combinations is calculated as (2^{8}). This translates to 256 unique combinations.

In terms of decimal values, these combinations range from 0 to 255, which means that the representation includes 256 different decimal values. This includes the lower limit of 0 and the highest value of 255, confirming that the total count of decimal values that can be represented by eight bits is indeed 256.

This understanding aligns with binary numbering principles, where the total combinations increase exponentially with the number of bits involved.