Abstract

Information, for a given ensemble of systems and type of measurement, is the average amount of error-free data gained per measurement. This amount is quantified by the number of bits required to represent the data. Thus, if a grain of wheat is placed at random on a chessboard, a measurement of which square is occupied yields log₂ 64 = 6 bits of information; a measurement of which column is occupied yields log₂ 8 = 3 bits etc. Such information can be used for communication purposes, where each square (each column, etc.) is associated with a symbol or codeword.

© 1996 Optical Society of America