What We Can Discover from Dimensional Analysis of the Information Concept

Proceedings

Collier, John¹ 

关键词: information;    dimensional analysis;    entropy;    negentropy;    order;    disorder;    degrees of freedom;   

DOI  :  10.3390/IS4SI-2017-03931

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Dimensional analysis is a technique used by scientists and engineers to check the rationality of their calculations, but it can also be used to determine the nature of the quantities used. Information is usually measured in bits, or binary digits, but it could be measured using any other base. I will be arguing that, given the possibility of an objective measure of information in terms of asymmetries, and the relation of information to order, Schrὂdinger’s suggestion that negentropy was an appropriate measure should be taken seriously. After clarifying this notion, I use dimensional analysis to show that negentropy has units of degrees of freedom, and that this is a sensible unit of information.

【 授权许可】

CC BY