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Science of Information: From Language to Black Holes

Series: Great Courses
4.7
(37)
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Episodes
24
Rating
TVPG
Year
2016
Language
English
Publisher
The Great Courses

About

The science of information is the most influential, yet perhaps least appreciated field in science today. Never before have we been able to acquire, record, communicate, and use information in so many different forms. This revolution goes far beyond the limitless content that fills our lives, because information also underlies our understanding of ourselves, the natural world, and the universe.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1 to 3 of 24

1. The Transformability of Information

30m

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What is information? Explore the surprising answer of American mathematician Claude Shannon, who concluded that information is the ability to distinguish reliably among possible alternatives. Consider why this idea was so revolutionary, and see how it led to the concept of the bit-the basic unit of information.

2. Computation and Logic Gates

30m

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Accompany the young Claude Shannon to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where in 1937 he submitted a master's thesis proving that Boolean algebra could be used to simplify the unwieldy analog computing devices of the day. Drawing on Shannon's ideas, learn how to design a simple electronic circuit that performs basic mathematical calculations.

3. Measuring Information

30m

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How is information measured and how is it encoded most efficiently? Get acquainted with a subtle but powerful quantity that is vital to the science of information: entropy. Measuring information in terms of entropy sheds light on everything from password security to efficient binary codes to how to design a good guessing game.

Extended Details

  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

Benjamin Schumacherwriter