Understanding Information Transmission

Description:

Understanding Information Transmission is an introduction to the field of information engineering targeted at Information Technology students. It spans the nature, storage, transmission, networking, and protection of information. A special feature of the book is its treatment of the spectacular history of information engineering and its social effects on all of us. As information transmission has emerged as one of the hottest topics in arenas ranging from mass media to research and development, this book will be of broad general interest to anyone interested in the progress of communications technology.

 

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction.
First Ideas and Some History.

1.1 What is Communication?

1.2 Why Digital Communication?

1.3 Some History.

1.4 Conclusions.

Bibliography.

2. Mathematical Methods of Information Transmission.
Why Sinusoids?

2.1 Linear, Time-Invariant (LTI) Systems.

2.2 On the Importance of Being Sinusoidal.

2.3 The Fourier Transform.

2.4 What is Bandwidth?

2.5 Discrete-time Systems.

2.6 Conclusions.

Bibliography.

Problems.

3. Information Sources.
What is Out There to be Sent?

3.1 What is Text?

3.2 What is Speech?

3.3 What is Music?

3.4 What is an Image?

3.5 What is Video?

3.6 Conclusion.

Bibliography.

Problems.

4. Transmission Methods.
How is Information Sent?

4.1 Communication Channels.

4.2 Analog Modulation.

4.3 Digital Modulation.

4.4 FM Stereo, Television and a Little About Electronics.

4.5 Conclusions.

Bibliography.

Problems.

5. Information Theory and Cooling.
What did Shannon Promise?

5.1 Information Theory—a Primer.

5.2 Methods of Source Coding.

5.3 Methods of Channel Coding.

5.4 Trellis Coded Modulation.

5.5 Conclusions.

Bibliography.

Problems.

6. Cryptology.
FUBSWRORJB??

6.1 Fundamentals of Cryptosystems.

6.2 Caesar and Vigenère Ciphers.

6.3 The Vernam Cipher and Perfect Secrecy.

6.4 Stream Ciphers.

6.5 Block Ciphers.

6.6 Cryptomachines During World War II.

6.7 Two-key Cryptography.

6.8 Conclusion.

Bibliography.

Problems.

7. Communication Networks.
Let’s get Connected.

7.1 An Overview of Information Networks.

7.2 Circuit Switching: The Telephone Net.

7.3 Mobile Telephony.

7.4 The Internet.

Bibliography.

Appendix A. Complex Numbers.

Appendix B. Sinusoids and Circuit Theory.

Appendix C. Probability Theory—a Primer.

Index.

About the Authors.