LOGON
Charles François (2004). LOGON, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 1952.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1952 ▶ |
| Object type | Human sciences, Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
- “The unit of structural information is that which enables one such new distinguishable group to be defined for a representation.” (D. GABOR, as quoted by D.G. Mac KAY)
Mac KAY, who adapted GABOR's concept, comments:
- “Thus structural information is not concerned with the number of elements in a pattern, but with the possibility of distinguishing between them” (1969, p.165).
This is the same characteristic difference which exist between homogeneity and heterogeneity, in space as well as in time as the following example given by MacKAY expresses:
- “…if we are counting identical sheeps jumping through a gate, and we have no sense of time, our result can only be represented by a certain total number; but if we have a clock we can now define what we mean by ”the number in the first minute“ and ”in the second“ and so forth, and represent our result by a set of distinguishable subtotals. The clock has provided structural information. In a similar way the ability to distinguish (e.g) spatial position along the gate would provide distinguishable subtotals and hence increase the structural information-content of our representation” (p.165).