RE: [Fis] meaning of meaning: meaning of "information" and "entropy"

Dear Shu-Kun,

An excellent textbook about using information theory as entropy
statistics is, for example, to be found in: H. Theil, Statistical
Decomposition Analysis, Amsterdam: North-Holland, 1972. Theil is a
well-known econometrician.

> on the meaning of "information". Let us accept Wiener's
> argument that "these two concepts are synonymous". Soeren, do
> you have the exact citation of Wiener's words?

I don't consider "let us accept" a convincing argument. The two concepts
are not synonymous. For example, in the ideal case of a frictionless
collision among billiard balls, the thermodynamic entropy generated is
(by definition) zero. However, the distribution of momenta and/or energy
is maximally changed. Thus, a probabilistic entropy is generated. Your
statement about a synonymy is therefore false.

With kind regards,

Loet

  _____

Loet Leydesdorff
Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR)
Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam
Tel.: +31-20- 525 6598; fax: +31-20- 525 3681
 <mailto:loet@leydesdorff.net> loet@leydesdorff.net ;
<http://www.leydesdorff.net/> http://www.leydesdorff.net/

 <http://www.upublish.com/books/leydesdorff-sci.htm> The Challenge of
Scientometrics ; <http://www.upublish.com/books/leydesdorff.htm> The
Self-Organization of the Knowledge-Based Society
Received on Mon Feb 9 11:08:33 2004