To answer this question, we need to understand the concept of a byte and its size.
A byte is a unit of digital information that consists of 8 bits. Each bit can either be a 0 or a 1. Therefore, a byte can represent 2^8 (256) different values.
Option A) -128 to 127 - This option is correct. In a byte, the range of values is typically represented as -2^7 to 2^7 - 1. This means that the minimum value that can be stored in a byte is -128 (-2^7) and the maximum value is 127 (2^7 - 1).
Option B) (-2^8)-1 to 2^8 - This option is incorrect. The range mentioned in this option is incorrect. The correct range should be from -2^7 to 2^7 - 1.
Option C) -255 to 256 - This option is incorrect. The range mentioned in this option is incorrect. The correct range should be from -128 to 127.
Option D) depends on the particular implementation of the Java Virtual Machine - This option is incorrect. The size of a byte is standardized across different programming languages and platforms. It is always 8 bits.
Based on the explanations above, the correct answer is option A. A byte can represent values from -128 to 127.