6.050J Information, Entropy and Computation
2.110J Information, Entropy and Computation

Prereq.: 8.01, 8.012, 8.01L, or 8.01T
U (Spring)
4-0-5

Explores the ultimate limits to communication
and computation, with an emphasis on the
physical nature of information and information
processing. Topics include information and com-
putation, digital signals, codes, and compres-
sion. Biological representations of information.
Logic circuits, computer architectures, and
algorithmic information. Noise, probability, and
error correction. The concept of entropy applied
to channel capacity and to the second law of
thermodynamics. Reversible and irreversible
operations and the physics of computation.
Quantum computation.

P. Penfield, Jr.,  S. Lloyd