When Someone Reads a Research Paper About Computers and Runs

When someone reads a research paper about computers and runs across the term, bit, to what is the paper referring?

A) one portion of computer memory that uses 8-digital discrete electronic states to represent a character
B) a digit that represents the electronic state called "off"
C) the smallest unit of data a computer can process
D) the most informative electronic element that represents data in a computer