information, info (noun)

a message received and understood

information (noun)

knowledge acquired through study or experience or instruction

information (noun)

formal accusation of a crime

data, information (noun)

a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn

"statistical data"

information, selective information, entropy (noun)

(communication theory) a numerical measure of the uncertainty of an outcome

"the signal contained thousands of bits of information"

information (Noun)

Things that are or can be known about a given topic; communicable knowledge of something.

information (Noun)

The act of informing or imparting knowledge; notification.

information (Noun)

A statement of criminal activity brought before a judge or magistrate; in the UK, used to inform a magistrate of an offence and request a warrant; in the US, an accusation brought before a judge without a grand jury indictment.

information (Noun)

The act of informing against someone, passing on incriminating knowledge; accusation.

information (Noun)

The systematic imparting of knowledge; education, training.

information (Noun)

The creation of form; the imparting of a given quality or characteristic; forming, animation.

information (Noun)

Divine inspiration.

information (Noun)

Any unambiguous abstract data, the smallest possible unit being the bit.

information (Noun)

A service provided by telephone which provides listed telephone numbers of a subscriber.

information (Noun)

As contrasted with data, knowledge which is gathered as a result of processing data.

Information

Information, in its general sense, is "Knowledge communicated or received concerning a particular fact or circumstance". Information cannot be predicted and resolves uncertainty. The uncertainty of an event is measured by its probability of occurrence and is inversely proportional to that. The more uncertain an event is more information is required to resolve uncertainty of that event. The amount of information is measured in bits. Example: information in one "fair" coin flip: log2 = 1 bit, and in two fair coin flips is log2 = 2 bits. Information, in its most restricted technical sense, is a sequence of symbols that can be interpreted as a message. Information can be recorded as signs, or transmitted as signals. Information is any kind of event that affects the state of a dynamic system. Conceptually, information is the message being conveyed. The meaning of this concept varies in different contexts. Moreover, the concept of information is closely related to notions of constraint, communication, control, data, form, instruction, knowledge, meaning, understanding, mental stimuli, pattern, perception, representation, and entropy.

Information

Information can be thought of as the resolution of uncertainty; it is that which answers the question of "what an entity is" and thus defines both its essence and nature of its characteristics. The concept of information has different meanings in different contexts. Thus the concept becomes related to notions of constraint, communication, control, data, form, education, knowledge, meaning, understanding, mental stimuli, pattern, perception, representation, and entropy. Information is associated with data, as data represents values attributed to parameters, and information is data in context and with meaning attached. Information also relates to knowledge, as knowledge signifies understanding of an abstract or concrete concept.In terms of communication, information is expressed either as the content of a message or through direct or indirect observation. That which is perceived can be construed as a message in its own right, and in that sense, information is always conveyed as the content of a message. Information can be encoded into various forms for transmission and interpretation (for example, information may be encoded into a sequence of signs, or transmitted via a signal). It can also be encrypted for safe storage and communication. The uncertainty of an event is measured by its probability of occurrence and is inversely proportional to that. The more uncertain an event, the more information is required to resolve uncertainty of that event. The bit is a typical unit of information, but other units such as the nat may be used. For example, the information encoded in one "fair" coin flip is log2(2/1) = 1 bit, and in two fair coin flips is log2(4/1) = 2 bits.