From c48e162b06d588b0259471c316cb4007f261c739 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Tomislav Medak Date: Sun, 19 May 2024 12:36:36 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] Add content/shard/redundancy.md --- content/shard/redundancy.md | 12 ++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 12 insertions(+) create mode 100644 content/shard/redundancy.md diff --git a/content/shard/redundancy.md b/content/shard/redundancy.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a928374 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/shard/redundancy.md @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ ++++ +title = "redundancy.md" +glassblower = ["cristobalsciutto.md"] ++++ + +When a message is transmitted across a channel, in ![Shannon](bib:435722df-f5d6-4b80-9e5b-addd8bf43467)'s terminology, it is beneficial (in terms of bandwidth scarcity) to compress the message into the shortest possible code. This is only feasible because natural language features redundancy to clarify meaning and avoid misunderstanding. + +Given a fixed context, agreed upon on both sides of the channel, the redundancy can be eliminated. The context implies a distribution of possible messages, from which an optimal encoding can be deduced, as determined by Shannon's theory of information. Schematically, in a military context, the context in which most information technology originated, the options "launch the missile" and "retreat the troops" can be reduced to a single bit: 0 or 1. + +It is critical to note that this is context-dependent. Compression is conditional on who is receiving the message, a process that is reified through deterministic encoders and decoders, e.g. h264 for video transmission. + +Nonetheless, redundancy is not completely discarded. The channel along which the encoded message is sent is not necessarily reliable. A noisy channel may accidentally flip a bit in the message sent. In our new formalized encoding, redundancy is re-introduced to attenuate these problems. For example, an additional parity bit may be used to increase the probability of an altered code being detected, avoiding miscommunication. \ No newline at end of file