Information & Structure
In this seminar we will study the relationship between raw information and the structures that are used to organize, translate, transmit, and make sense of it. We will consider information broadly, ranging from physical to virtual and from analog to digital, as it is acted upon by structures including physical, chemical, biological, physiological, and neurological phenomena, as well as by the human constructs of language, art, mathematics, engineering, and computer science. Along the way we will encounter the concepts of entropy, approximation, noise, and ambiguity that are inherent in the information that surrounds us in both our academics and daily lives. 3 hrs. sem.