information theory

American  

noun

1. the mathematical theory concerned with the content, transmission, storage, and retrieval of information, usually in the form of messages or data, and especially by means of computers.

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information theory British  

noun

1. a collection of mathematical theories, based on statistics, concerned with methods of coding, transmitting, storing, retrieving, and decoding information

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information theory Scientific  

1. A branch of mathematics that mathematically defines and analyzes the concept of information. Information theory involves statistics and probability theory, and applications include the design of systems that have to do with data transmission, encryption, compression, and other information processing.

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Etymology

Origin of information theory

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Modern fields of study such as cognitive neuroscience and integrated information theory also reflect technological change.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

Cybernetics is basically information theory or the mathematics of information applied in contexts of control.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2025

With diffusion models, an iterative data generation process starts from basic noise, a concept used in information theory to mimic the effect of many random processes that occur in nature.

From Science Daily • Mar. 28, 2024

They’d been pursuing new ways to transmit information through various channels, and at one point they learned of a relatively new concept in information theory called a minimum entropy coupling.

From Scientific American • Jun. 15, 2023

Tattered spy novels, texts on information theory and binary multipliers, and an old Polish-English dictionary.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin