NOISE GENERATOR
Charles François (2004). NOISE GENERATOR, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 2295.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2295 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
Any source which produces an unpredicted sequence of events.
D. MacKAY considers the case of the noise generator as information producer in these terms:
- “a) A noise generator… is a source not primarily of information but, if we must call it a source of something, simply of surprise
- “b) it becomes a source of information if and insofar as it leads to representational activity, and its ”output of information“ is to be measured relatively to the ensemble of representations on which it evoques selective operations
- “c) a source does not, however, produce significant information unless the representational activity evoked has significance for some receiver” (1969, p.137).
Further on, Mac Kay states: “… a noise generator can be regarded as a source of completely original, but meaningless information” (p.137).