What is information? <sup/>

2016/02/09 by Christoph Adami · 1 voice · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Misinformation and Its Impacts

paper · pdf · doi:10.1098/rsta.2015.0230

openalex publication_date 2016/02/09 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

Information is a precise concept that can be defined mathematically, but its relationship to what we call 'knowledge' is not always made clear. Furthermore, the concepts 'entropy' and 'information', while deeply related, are distinct and must be used with care, something that is not always achieved in the literature. In this elementary introduction, the concepts of entropy and information are laid out one by one, explained intuitively, but defined rigorously. I argue that a proper understanding of information in terms of prediction is key to a number of disciplines beyond engineering, such as physics and biology.

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Discussions

• What is information? It is the ability to do prediction. it is that which allows you (who is in possession of that information) to make predictions with accuracy better than chance. Given the OP came [stackexchange, 4 points]

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