The concept of information and its transmission

Information is the main subject of study in computer science.

The word “information” is intuitively understood by most people, as the concept is constantly used in everyday life. It’s clear that people share information, process it, and create new information.

But what is information as a scientific concept? Can a definitive answer be given to this question? Currently, no. The definition of the term “information” depends on the context in which it is used. When a concept cannot be unambiguously defined, it becomes almost philosophical, and each author can claim their own definition. The only fact remains that information is a fundamental scientific concept, along with matter and energy. However, information is immaterial; perhaps the existence of information should be viewed as the result of conscious human mental activity.

In certain sciences, the universe is viewed in terms of flows of matter and energy. The world can also be viewed in terms of flows of information. For example, a biological entity, when creating its own kind, transmits genetic information to it; the person who receives this information can transform it into knowledge and, consequently, slightly alter their consciousness.

Information has its own definition in different sciences. For example, physics defines it as follows: Information is an inherent property of all existing elements and systems, expressing their meaning and itself existing eternally. This definition does not include human activity. Creativity and invention are new information, previously nonexistent in the universe.

Here’s a rather interesting approach to defining information. Information is a reflection of the diversity in the existing world. Of course, if everything is the same, then it’s essentially empty and lacking information. It follows that the more diversity in a system, the more information it contains.

Shannon’s definition: Information is uncertainty removed. To clarify this, we can use the following analogy: a person doesn’t know the content of a subject, but the more they study it, the more information they have about it and the less uncertainty they have about it. Is it possible to imagine that all uncertainty in the universe will one day be removed by humans (by their minds, consciousness, activities, etc.)? After all, if we look at it, gradually, as a result of the development of civilization, uncertainty decreases, and the amount of information available to humanity increases.

If we consider all of humanity in its evolution as a single unit, we can see that this same humanity is engaged in receiving, accumulating, processing, and creating new information.

We can talk about an information breakthrough at present, since modern technology and equipment make it possible to quickly process and exchange information.

It can be said that information in a broad sense is a reflection of the real world, and in a narrow sense, it is any information that is an object of storage, transmission, and transformation.

From a practical standpoint, information is always represented as a message. An information message is associated with a message source, a message recipient, and a communication channel.

Messages are transmitted from a source to a receiver in material-energetic form (electrical, light, sound signals, etc.). Humans perceive messages through their senses. Receivers of information in technology perceive messages using various measuring and recording equipment. In both cases, the reception of information is associated with a change over time in some quantity characterizing the receiver’s state. In this sense, an information message can be represented by a function x(t), which characterizes the change over time of the material-energetic parameters of the physical environment in which information processes occur.

The function x(t)takes on any real value over a time range t. If the function x(t)is continuous, then it represents continuous (or analog) information, typically sourced from various natural objects (temperature, pressure, humidity, etc.). If the function x(t)is discrete, then the information messages are clearly separated into individual elements (for example, like words in a text).

In the modern world, information is typically processed on computers. Therefore, the science of computer science, among other things, includes the study of computers. A computer (or computing machine) is a device that transforms information by performing a series of operations using a program.

Another widely used term is ” data .” It is commonly applied to information presented in a form that allows for its storage, transmission, or processing using technical means. Therefore, along with the terms “information input,” “information processing,” “information storage,” and “information retrieval,” the terms “data entry,” “data processing,” “data storage,” and the like are used.

Information exists not only as data but also as knowledge. Here, knowledge is a collection of objective facts, methods, and technologies that are systematized and provide a realistic understanding of objects, processes, and phenomena—that is, specially structured information.

Knowledge can be declarative or procedural. In the former case, it is information understood by a person, while in the latter, it is the ability to solve specific problems, i.e., mastery of the algorithms for a specific action.

It is almost impossible to draw a clear line between the concepts of “information”, “data,” and “knowledge”.

Data and knowledge circulate in information systems in the form of information flows. The collection, accumulation, processing, storage, and use of information in information systems are accomplished using information technology. Information technology is a mechanized (engineering) method of processing information, implemented through automated information systems.

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