Claude Shannon

Claude.jpg Life
Claude Elwood Shannon was born on April 30, 1916 in Michigan. He came from the small town of Gaylord, raised by Claude Elwood Sr. and Mabel Wolf Shannon. The town only had about three thousand residents which led his parent to both hold important roles in the community. His father was a judge and his mother was the principal of the only high school in the quaint town. His father was clever mathematically, and influenced Claude in that way. Claude’s grandfather influenced him scientifically since he had much experience in the field. His grandfather was the inventor of the washing machine. Claude married Mary Elizabeth Moore on March 27, 1949. They had three children; Robert James, Margarita Catherine, and Andrew Moore. He would build useful items for them like a chair lift that would take the kids lakeside but once they grew up he took it down. He has always been very into juggling, since he was a kid which led him to build an off center unicycle to help keep the rider steady while they juggled. His obsession with juggling lead him to buld a stage with three mechanical clowns that juggle an assortment of objects. Shannon went to Michigan University in 1936 and earned his Bachelor of Science degree. He furthered his education at Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he received his master’s degree in electrical engineering. He received his doctorate in Mathematics by applying mathematics to genetics. He received both of his degrees in 1940, and after that was hired by Bell Telephone Laboratories where he began applying his knowledge to his work from there forward.

—Preceding unsigned comment added by vlr12b (talk • contribs) 2:22, Sept. 24, 2012

http://www.nyu.edu/pages/linguistics/courses/v610003/shan.html

Contributions
Throughout his life, Claude Shannon had many contributions to the worlds of information Science and information technology. He is credited for having founded Information Theory, founding both digital and circuit design theory, and contributing to the field of cryptanalysis for National Defense during World War II.

At just the young age of 21, as a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Shannon wrote what has been claimed as "the most important master's thesis of all time". In his thesis, he proved that boolean algebra and binary arithmetic could help simplify the arrangement of the electromechanical relays that were then used in telephone call routing switches. After World War II, his work became the foundation of practical digital circuit design. This logic is the basic principle that underlies all electronic digital computers.

Shannon's work on code breaking and secure telecommunications was a major contribution to the field cryptanalysis for National Defense during World War II. He was able to prove that the cryptographic one-time pad is unbreakable and that any unbreakable system must have the same characteristics as the one-time pad.

Shannon's greatest contribution would have to come from his Landmark Paper that was posted in 1948. The problem of how to best encode the information a sender wants to transmit is the main focus of his article. He was able to invent the field of information theory by developing information Entropy as a measure for the uncertainty.

Claude Shannon accomplished many things, and made many contributions during his lifetime. His work is credited as the foundation of the digital revolution. If it weren't for "The Father of Information Theory", many things in technology wouldn't exist today.

tkc11 --68.234.137.181 20:58, September 23, 2012 (UTC)

—Preceding unsigned comment added by vlr12b (talk • contribs) 2:22, Sept. 24, 2012

Publications, Patents, and Other Intellectual Property
Claude E. Shannon, known as the father of modern digital communications and information theory, had numerous crucial developments and inventions that helped aid the way communication evolved throughout the twentieth century. As his thesis for his master’s degree he wrote about how electrical applications of Boolean algebra. He also wrote “A Mathematical Theory of Communication” in 1948 which theorized that a message is simply just the amount of 1’s and 0’s it takes to transmit the message. According to MIT Professor Robert G. Gallager, “This was not something somebody else would have done for a very long time.” He was also a cryptographer in World War II and helped create devices that observe enemy planes or missiles and calculate the aim of counter missiles. Also during World War II he wrote a paper titled “Communication Theory of Secrecy Systems” which he is credited with transforming cryptography into a science versus an art. According to an article on MIT’s website which details his achievements and accomplishments He created a device that could solve the Rubik’s Cube, a mechanical mouse that could travel through a maze because of magnets, a mind reading machine, motorize pogo sticks, rocket powered Frisbees and even a juggling machine. What could be his most impressive invention is the computer that could play chess, it came out several years before IBM’s version came out. Unfortunately Claude Shannon passed on February 24th, 2001. He left behind a huge impact on the Information Technology world as well as the Digital Communications world.

Awards & Recognition
'''Claude Shannon is recognized as "The father of Information Theory". He received numerous prestigious awards through-out his life time. These awards include:'''
 * Morris Liebmann Memorial Award (1949) - Awarded for his theory on the transmission of information in the presence on noise.
 * Ballantine Medal (1955)
 * Merin J. Kelly Award of the American Institute of Electrical Engineer (1962)
 * National Medal of Science (1966)
 * Medal of Honor IEEE (1966) - Awarded after he developed a mathematical theory of communication.
 * Claude E. Shannon Award - Awarded for his profound contributions to the field of Information Theory. The award was also given his name as a mark of honor. The award is still to this day is given, on a yearly basis, to an information scientist who also makes a grand contribution to the field.
 * Jacquard Award (1978 )
 * John Fritz Medal (1983)
 * Kyoto Prize in Basic Science (1985) - Awarded since 1985 by the Inamori Foundation, for "significant contributions to the progress of science, the development of civilization, and the enrichment and elevation of the human spirit". Shannon was among the first to be given this award.

jsi09 14:40, September 23, 2012 (UTC)

—Preceding unsigned comment added by vlr12b (talk • contribs) 2:22, sept 24, 2012

Critical Analysis and Interpretation
Claude Shannon in 1987 measured the amount of data and information that could travel through a communication channel. He wanted to identify how much information was within a signal. Being able to communicate how data could be not just qualitative but also quantitative through numbers and figures, is key in how Shannon shaped the Information Science field. Being able to classify, identify, and measure how information is communicated, is the foundation of what Shannon wanted to discover and share with others in his thesis in "A Mathematical Theory of Communication". This was revolutionary because in communication, members in the field were concerned with who the sender and receivers were, if nonverbal attributes, or noise were involved in transmitting a message through a channel. Through the lens of an Information Scientist, Shannon was able to see the bigger picture of how information was structured and what was the smallest unit to measure creation was.

Describing how information could be observed and measured involved understanding that information is made up of something that must travel through a channel or available form of transportation to get from one source to another. Similar to how matter is neither created nor destroyed information must come from a smaller unit. Claude Shannon should be called "The Father of Quantifying Information" or be nicknamed "The Dad of Data".

In computer science and in technology, the smallest unit of measurement is called a bit. A bit is made up of digits like one and zero and are interchanged to make larger numbers and data. Claude Shannon invented the bit and this unit of measurement is just as important to the Information Age as a yard, foot, or an inch. Bits are a quantitative measurement that allows individuals to increase speeds in transmission time when information is sent because with a smaller source code the information is compressed. Compressed data has less chance of being interrupted as it travels from one source through a channel to its final destination.

Being an employee at AT&T, having a working relationship with Vannevar Bush, and being a teacher at MIT all helped Shannon win the Alfred Nobel Prize. His desire to understand how systems work from the foundation to the final destination allowed him to be a revolutionary in Information Science. Understanding computer systems, math such as Boolean Algebra, and how thinks work because of his engineering background all emulsified into a perfect working knowledge that contributed to his success as an Information Scientist.

enl09 22:31, September 23, 2012‎71.229.22.74 UTC

—Preceding unsigned comment added by vlr12b (talk • contribs) 2:22, Sept. 24, 2012

Application to IT or ICT Professionals
Claude Shannon is the founding father who laid down Information Theory's most important principles. It was Shannon’s unifying vision that revolutionized communication, and spawned a multitude of communication research that we now define as the field of Information Theory. Information Theory is not just a product of the work of Claude Shannon. It was the result of crucial contributions made by many distinct individuals, from a variety of backgrounds, who took his ideas and expanded upon them. Indeed the diversity and directions of their perspectives and interests shaped the direction of Information Theory(Aftab, Cheung, Kim, Thakkar, Yeddanapudi; 2). One of the first applications of Information Theory Concepts, however, was in spread spectrum technology, where its development was driven by military needs. The concept of spread spectrum as it is known today stems from Shannon’s idea of entropy. Today, spread spectrum can be seen as CDMA technology in cell phones(Aftab, Cheung, Kim, Thakkar, Yeddanapudi; 6). Hardware technology has always been the determining factor for Information Theory. The theory is just that: theory. Algorithms, concepts, and codes require technology, in the form of complex hardware and computing power to be used. Technology again, in the form of ready and cheap hardware, and computing power, is behind the phenomenal success of Information Theory today. Information theory has innumerable applications today(Aftab, Cheung, Kim, Thakkar, Yeddanapudi; 20). CDMA is still being used and researched to improve voice and data communications systems. Modern applications of spread spectrum range from low speed fire safety devices to high speed wireless local area networks. Storage devices, such as hard disks and RAM, also employ Information Theory concepts(Aftab, Cheung, Kim, Thakkar, Yeddanapudi; 22).

19:41 (cur | prev). . (+1,650)‎ . . SheevaNoshrivan (Talk | contribs) (→‎Application to IT or ICT Professionals: )

 —Preceding unsigned comment added by vlr12b (talk • contribs) 7:21 pm, Sept 24, 2012 (UTC)