An Introduction to Information Theory..., John R. Pierce
An Introduction to Information Theory..., John R. Pierce
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

An Introduction to Information Theory
Symbols, Signals and Noise

Author: John R. Pierce

Narrator: Kyle Tait

Unabridged: 10 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 10/08/2019


Synopsis

Behind the familiar surfaces of the telephone, radio, and television lies a sophisticated and intriguing body of knowledge known as information theory. This is the theory that has permitted the rapid development of all sorts of communication, from color television to the clear transmission of photographs from the vicinity of Jupiter. Even more revolutionary progress is expected in the future.

Beginning with the origins of this burgeoning field, Dr. Pierce follows the brilliant formulations of Claude Shannon and describes such aspects of the subject as encoding and binary digits, entropy, language and meaning, efficient encoding, and the noisy channel. He then goes beyond the strict confines of the topic to explore the ways in which information theory relates to physics, cybernetics, psychology, and art. Mathematical formulas are introduced at the appropriate points for the benefit of serious students.

J. R. Pierce worked for many years at the Bell Telephone Laboratories, where he became Director of Research in Communications Principles. An Introduction to Information Theory continues to be the most impressive nontechnical account available and a fascinating introduction to the subject for lay listeners.

About John R. Pierce

John R. Pierce (1910-2002) was an American engineer and author. He worked extensively in the fields of radio communication, microwave technology, computer music, psychoacoustics, and science fiction. As a sideline to his professional career he wrote science fiction for many years under various names: John Pierce, John R. Pierce, and J. J. Coupling.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Evan on June 05, 2011

An excellent introduction to the new and complicated science of communication. It explores topics of entropy, information as bits, noisy channels and other technical issues with plenty of examples, elaboration and analogy. Negatives: Though the math and equations never get beyond basic algebra and p......more

Goodreads review by Alex on October 13, 2017

Terrific and short introduction to the subject via an incredibly precise and clear writing. As advertised it is intended for a general audience, but it is not a dumbed-down pop-sci book - you'll need a fair amount of grit to get through it. Perhaps the best takeaway from the book is clearing of the......more

Goodreads review by Karen on July 17, 2011

A gentle yet solid introduction to information theory.......more

Goodreads review by Lucille on November 10, 2022

Well written review of information theory. A bit dated, but overall demonstrates what information theory is and its applications.......more

Goodreads review by Kathleen on January 15, 2013

I learned a bit and enjoyed the read. Another reviewer said it was a 'gentle thorough' introduction to the topic. I can't speak to the thorough, not my field, but it was gentle. Pierce has a sense of humor, and by golly, I believed that I could do the math if I took a real course in information theo......more