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A Mathematical Theory of Communication

July 1948 C.E. Shannon Bell System Technical Journal, Vol. 27, No. 3, pp. 379-423
#Information Theory #Mathematics #Communications

Abstract

This paper establishes the theoretical foundations of information theory. It introduces the concept of information entropy, establishes the maximum rate of information transmission through a channel, and provides mathematical tools for analyzing communication systems.

Key Contributions

  1. Mathematical definition of information
  2. Entropy as a measure of uncertainty
  3. Channel capacity theorem
  4. Source and channel coding theorems

Historical Impact

This paper is considered one of the most influential in 20th-century engineering. It won the Prize Paper Award from the Bell System and has been cited over 50,000 times.

The work was so fundamental that it essentially created an entire new field of study - information theory - which now underpins all digital communications.

55 pages that changed the world.