CHANNEL CAPACITY
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 404 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
The maximum rate (expressed as the number of information units per second) at which a channel can transmit messages with minimal distorsion.
According to C. SHANNON: “If the source is of a simple type, releasing symbols of equal length (as in the case of a teletype for example), if in this source each chosen symbol represents s information bits (freely chosen from 2n symbols) and finally the channel may transmit, let us say, n symbols per second, the capacity C of the channel is then defined as being ns bits per second” (1949).
This is of course a strictly quantitative and numerical measurement, once the needed energy has been used to create the signals. In R.N. ADAMS words: “The channel capacity of a telephone circuit refers to the fact that the physical composition of the circuit can receive only a finite amount of energetic activity over a given period of time” (1988, p.84).