Information
Information (shortened as info or info.) is a phenomenon relating to knowledge.
Contents
Description
Information is:
- That which informs, i.e. an answer to a question
- That from which knowledge and data can be derived
- As data represents values attributed to parameters, and knowledge signifies understanding of real things or abstract concepts
As it regards data (see also Data (computing)), the information's existence is not necessarily coupled to an observer (it exists beyond an event horizon, for example), while in the case of knowledge, information requires a cognitive observer.
Propagation of cause and effect
At its most fundamental, information is any propagation of cause and effect within a system.
Information conveyance
Information is conveyed either as the content of a message or through direct or indirect observation of some thing.
That which is perceived can be construed as a message in its own right, and in that sense, information is always conveyed as the content of a message.
Encoding
Information can be encoded into various forms for:
For example, information may be encoded into signs, and transmitted via signals.
Encryption
Information can also be encrypted for safe storage and communication.
Information resolves uncertainty
Information resolves uncertainty.
- The uncertainty of an event is measured by its probability of occurrence and is inversely proportional to that.
- The more uncertain an event, the more information is required to resolve uncertainty of that event.
- The bit is a typical unit of information, but other units such as the nat may be used.
- Example: information in one "fair" coin flip: log2(2/1) = 1 bit, and in two fair coin flips is log2(4/1) = 2 bits.
Related concepts
The concept that information is the message has different meanings in different contexts.
Thus the concept of information becomes closely related to notions of:
- Constraint
- Communication
- Control
- Data - see Data and Data (computing)
- Form
- Education
- Knowledge
- Meaning
- Understanding
- Mental stimuli
- Pattern
- Perception
- Representation
- Entropy
See also
- Analogy
- Approximation
- Bit
- Data
- Data (computing)
- Data analysis
- Data processing
- Data stream
- Data transmission
- Entropy
- Knowledge
- Information architecture
- Information model
- Information system
- Information theory
- Language
- Metadata
- Mnemonic
- Perfect information (game theory)
- Reason
- Sensory ecology
- Signal
- Signal processing
- Table (information)
- Uncertainty
- Units of information
External Links
- Information @ Wikipedia
