Understanding Information Theory

Language allows you to break down a thought or a mental object into a series of conceptual chunks. This series of conceptual chunks can be externalized by a series of signals or symbols. This fascinating course begins by discussing the origins of written language and the alphabet. You will study pictograms and learn their importance in the evolution of writing. The material also covers ideograms and the hieroglyphic writing system that was used in ancient Egypt.

Next, you will study the Phoenician writing system, which was based on the principle of one sign representing one consonant, and was the source of the Greek and Roman alphabets. The course then discusses Morse code, which uses dots and dashes to transmit information over long distances. You will also study symbol rate and channel capacity, Voltaic pile technology and Markov chains. Finally, you will learn how information is measured.

By the end of this course, you will have a much better understanding of information theory, the history of written language, the evolution of electrical communication systems, and recent radical changes to the transmission of information. This knowledge is for understanding the modern systems of communication that we so easily take for granted.