Claude shannon, father of information theory internet. Shannon 1 2 which contained the basic results for simple memoryless sources and channels and introduced more general communication systems models, including nite state sources and channels. While the jones 2 book does not provide a basket full of lemmas and deep insight for doing research on quantifying information, it is a. He developed the mathematical theories and techniques that make possible the analysis of switching circuits, computers and communications. Information theory an overview sciencedirect topics. Information theory is the mathematics of digital technology, and during the claude shannon centenary year 2016 it is thrilling to see his ideas. Claude shannon, american mathematician and electrical engineer who laid the theoretical foundations for digital circuits and information theory, a mathematical communication model. Claude shannon and the making of information theory.
A tutorial introduction is a highly readable first account of shannon s mathematical theory of communication, now known as information theory. This fascinating program explores his life and the major influence his. Information theory was not just a product of the work of claude shannon. Jan 16, 2008 considered the founding father of the electronic communication age, claude shannon s work ushered in the digital revolution. And the best way ive found is to explain some of the brilliant ideas he had. It was renamed the mathematical theory of communication in the 1949 book of the same name, a small but significant title change after realizing the generality of. This important book, the first published collection of papers by claude e. Claude shannons information theory built the foundation. This page is dedicated to everything claude shannonthe father of information theory.
Information theory a tutorial introduction james v stone stone information theory a tutorial introduction sebtel press a tutorial introduction book cover design by stefan brazzo riginally developed by claude shannon in the 1940s, information theory laid the foundations for the digital revolution, and is now an essential. It was originally proposed by claude shannon in 1948 to find fundamental limits on signal processing and communication operations such as data compression, in a landmark paper titled a mathematical theory of communication. This book is an excellent introduction to the mathematics underlying the theory. The brilliant life of claude shannon, inventor of the information age. Information theory a tutorial introduction o information. The fact that there has never been a comprehensive biography of claude shannon, the father of information theory, has seemed a particularly egregious oversight as the world has hurtled further and further into the information age. This book contains the collected papers of claude elwood shannon, one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century. For more information about shannon and his impact, see the article by michelle effros and h. A basis for such a theory is contained in the important papers of nyquist1 and.
I taught an introductory course on information theory to a small class. During his acceptance lecture, at an international symposium in chicago, he. This paper is dedicated to his memory and the memory of claude shannon, who. Apr 30, 2016 t his equation was published in the 1949 book the mathematical theory of communication, cowritten by claude shannon and warren weaver. Which is the best introductory book for information theory. Claude shannon father of the information age duration. Information theory studies the quantification, storage, and communication of information. If you want to know about claude shannon who wrote a seminal article on information theory in 1948 this is a great book. I used information and coding theory by jones and jones as the course book, and supplemented it with various material, including covers book already cited on this page. In kahns book, the codebreakers, he stated, shannon has managed to quantify the. Information theory is the mathematical treatment of the concepts, parameters and rules governing the transmission of messages through communication systems.
The concept of entropy was an important feature of shannons theory, which he. Masters thesis, massachusetts institute of technology. Shannon 1 introduction and summary the problems of cryptography and secrecy systems furnish an interesting application of communication theory1. Information theory, sport, betting and the stock market. Jul, 2017 vint cerf savours a life of claude shannon, informationtheory pioneer and wildly inventive tinkerer. After graduating from the university of michigan in 1936 with bachelors degrees in mathematics and electrical. Claude elwood shannon april 30, 1916 february 24, 2001 was an american mathematician, electrical engineer, and cryptographer known as the father of information theory. T his equation was published in the 1949 book the mathematical theory of communication, cowritten by claude shannon and warren weaver. It was renamed the mathematical theory of communication in the 1949 book. It was originally proposed by claude shannon in 1948 to find. A mathematical theory of communication harvard university. Claude shannon and the invention of information information is what our world runs on. Virtually all electronic forms of communication today are indebted to shannons work.
The subtitle how claude shannon invented the information age is one reason. In this paper a theory of secrecy systems is developed. He created the field of information theory when he published a book the mathematical theory. Information theory is a branch of applied mathematics, electrical engineering, and computer science which originated primarily in the work of claude shannon and his colleagues in the 1940s. I visualize a time when we will be to robots what dogs are to humans. An elegant way to work out how efficient a code could be, it. This task will allow us to propose, in section 10, a formal reading of the concept of shannon information, according to which the epistemic and the physical views are different possible models of the formalism. Aug 05, 2012 its interesting how information theory, las vegas and wall street have been intertwined over the years. Shannonshannon, claude elwood, 19162001, american applied mathematician, b. Shannon published in bell system technical journal in 1948. Price points to diagrams in a book that resemble paper fans. Claude shannon and the making of information theory core. Claude shannon, whos 100th anniversary is this year, deserves your attention as a genius of the computer age. Shannon, is a fascinating guide to all of the published articles from this worldrenowned inventor, tinkerer, puzzlesolver, prankster, and father of information theory.
Jul 25, 2017 what were claude shannon s most important contributions to math and technology. Claude shannon engineering and technology history wiki. Claude shannon father of the information age youtube. Claude shannon was a mathematician, electrical engineer, and cryptographer known as the father of information theory. Of the pioneers who drove the information technology revolution, claude shannon may have been the most brilliant. Claude shannons information theory built the foundation for the digital era born 100 years ago, shannon devised the math that made computers powerful. To sum it up, if you want to really understand what entropy means in terms of information theory, then this is the book for it. Shannon introduction t he recent development of various methods of modulation such as pcm and ppm which exchange bandwidth for signaltonoise ratio has intensi. Shannon published his masterpiece, a mathematical theory of communication, giving birth to the science called information theory. A mathematical theory of communication is an article by mathematician claude e.
Its interesting how information theory, las vegas and wall street have been intertwined over the years. Last updated on november 7, 2019 information theory is a subfield of read more. In the pantheon of cool people who made the modern information era possible, hes right up there. It turns out that there were three certified geniuses at btl bell telephone laboratories at the same time, claude shannon of information theory fame, john pierce, of communication satellite and. A tutorial introduction, by me jv stone, published february 2015. Includes his seminal article the mathematical theory of communication.
He is the creator of modern information theory, and an early and important contributor to the theory of computing. A mathematical theory of communication claude shannon. Claude elwood shannons realization that all information could be transmitted in a series of 1s and 0s laid the foundation for a revolution in the spread of information. You can use the internet without understanding any of claude shannons work.
Claude shannon may be considered one of the most influential person of the 20th century, as he laid out the foundation of the revolutionary information theory. With the fundamental new discipline of quantum information science now under construction, its a good time to look back at an extraordinary. This is the seminal work that may be said to include the basic concepts, definitions and theorems of information and communication theory. Shannon award, the highest honor in the field of information theory. Yet, unfortunately, he is virtually unknown to the public. Developed by claude shannon and norbert wiener in the late 1940s, information theory, or statistical communication theory, deals with the theoretical underpinnings of a wide range of communication devices.
Vint cerf savours a life of claude shannon, informationtheory pioneer and wildly inventive tinkerer. It deals with concepts such as information, entropy, information transmission, data. Mar 17, 20 claude shannon may be considered one of the most influential person of the 20th century, as he laid out the foundation of the revolutionary information theory. With the fundamental new discipline of quantum information science now under construction, its a good. Scientific american called it the magna carta of the information age. Information theory was born in a surprisingly rich state in the classic papers of claude e. He not only pioneered binary logic and arithmetic, he invented a whole new subject area information theory and still had time to have fun with computer chess and theseus, the amazing maze running relay mouse see the video.
It was founded by claude shannon toward the middle of the twentieth century and has since then evolved into a vigorous branch of mathematics fostering. Shannon is noted for having founded information theory with a landmark paper, a mathematical theory of communication, that he published in 1948. Claude shannon, the father of the information age, turns 1100100. Claude elwood shannon is considered as the founding father of electronic. A mind at play is a very interesting book for many reasons. His work and its legacy, published with the permission of the ems newsletter. A student of vannevar bush at the massachusetts institute of technology mit, he was the first to propose the application of symbolic. The approach is on a theoretical level and is intended to com. Claude shannon 19162001 made a contribution of signal importance to the modern world when he was only 21. What were claude shannons most important contributions to math and technology. Indeed the diversity and directions of their perspectives and interests shaped the direction of information theory.
It deals with concepts such as information, entropy, information transmission, data compression, coding, and related topics. It was the result of crucial contributions made by many distinct individuals, from a variety of backgrounds, who took his ideas and expanded upon them. The first two samples were constructed by the use of a book of random numbers in conjunction with. Nov 05, 2015 claude shannon father of the information age duration. Slides of the corresponding talk are also available. Claude shannons 1948 paper a mathematical theory of communication is the paper that made the digital world we live in possible. It was renamed the mathematical theory of communication in the 1949 book of the same name, a small but significant title change after realizing the generality of this work. What are some standard bookspapers on information theory. This equation was published in the 1949 book the mathematical theory of communication, cowritten by claude shannon and warren. Jimmy soni and rob goodman have finally rectified this injustice. There is background about his growing up, his career, his contributions to the development of information theory and computation more generally, and about his professional and academic career. The life of the man called the father of information theory. Claude shannon information theory is the mathematics of. Information theory information theory before shannon to understand the contributions, motivations and methodology of claude shannon, it is important to examine the state of communication engineering before the advent of shannons 1948 paper.
The life and work of information theorys founding father. Considered the founding father of the electronic communication age, claude shannons work ushered in the digital revolution. The article was the founding work of the field of information theory. It is a great biography of a mathematician whose life and production are not that wellknown.
1446 636 1500 990 895 1072 820 1192 756 1323 496 122 1656 700 1374 1014 1231 34 8 809 1425 976 900 209 245 936 1418 421 550 231 962 1072 742 1508 146 1296 1171 739 369 745 799 650 1254 452 1242 479