What is Information?

“Reduction of Uncertainty”

Shannon, Claude, and Warren Weaver. 1948. The Mathematical Theory of Communication. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

“Difference that makes a difference”

“That which informs”

“A coherent collection of data organized in a particular way that has meaning”

Ruben, Brent. 1988. Communication and Information Behavior. New York. Prentice-Hall.

First Periodic Table

Modern Periodic Table

“The meaning that a human being assigns to data by means of the conventions applied to data”

Stallings, William. 1988. Data and Computer Communication. 2d ed. New York: Macmillan.

Examples

• 18009222233

• 18,009,222,233

• 1-800-922-2233

• 1.8009222233

Examples

• 4, 14, 34, 42, 59, 125

• A: 4, 14, 34, 42, 59, 125

• Subway stop for the NYC A Train Express Line on the West Side of Manhattan

Examples

• O, T, T, F, F

• O, T, T, F, F, S, S, E, N, T

• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

• One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten

“There are 10 kinds of people in the world.
Those who understand binary and those who don’t.” 
— Unknown

What is Metadata?

What is this?