Science and Information Theory FROM THE PUBLISHER
A classic source for understanding the connections between information theory and physics, this 1962 work was written by one of the giants of twentieth-century physics. Leon Brillouin's Science and Information Theory applies information theory to a wide variety of problems-notably Maxwell's demon, thermodynamics, and measurement problems-and is appropriate for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students. Brillouin begins by defining and applying the term "information." His topics include the principles of coding, coding problems and solutions, the analysis of signals, a summary of thermodynamics, thermal agitation and Brownian motion, and thermal noise in an electric circuit. A discussion of the negentropy principle of information introduces the author's renowned examination of Maxwell's demon. Concluding chapters explore the associations between information theory, the uncertainty principle, and physical limits of observation, in addition to problems related to computing, organizing information, and inevitable errors.
SYNOPSIS
In this reprint of the 1962 edition published by Academic Press, Inc. (the original was published in 1956), Brillouin describes the connections between information theory and physics, the need for precise and absolutely objective definitions and methods, and the possibilities in applying information theory to a wide variety of problems. He examines problems and solutions in semantics and coding, analyzing signals by the Fourier methods and sampling procedure, thermodynamics, thermal agitation and Brownian motion, thermal noise in an electric circuit, the negentropy principle of information and its application to Maxwell's Demon and general physics, observation and its limits, the uncertainty principle, the problem of computing, organization, the problem of very small distances, and the complications imposed by communication technologies as simple, and as complex, as speaking, writing, printing and reading. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
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