| Unit name | Information Theory |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MATH30032 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Jaggi |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Mathematics |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
Why is this unit important?
Shannon's information theory underlies many aspects of modern life, including streaming an MP3 or movie, or taking and storing digital photos. It is one of the great intellectual achievements of the 20th century, which continues to inspire communications engineering and to generate challenging mathematical problems. Recently it has extended dramatically into physics as quantum information theory. The course is about the fundamental ideas of this theory: data compression and reliable communication over noisy channels.
It is a statistical theory, so notions of probability play a great role, and in particular laws of large numbers as well as the concept of entropy are fundamental, culminating in Shannon's coding theorems. The course aims at demonstrating information theoretical modelling, and the mathematical techniques required will be rigorously developed.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
It is a natural companion to the Quantum Information course offered in Mathematics (MATHM5610), and to a certain degree to Cryptography B (COMSM0007), offered in Computer Science, and Communications (EENG 22000), in Electrical Engineering. It may also be interesting to physicists having attended Statistical Physics (PHYS30300).
An overview of content
Information calculus/concentration inequalities
Data compression
Channel coding
Rate distortion
Fundamentals of estimation
Design of capacity-achieving codes
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Students will be able to model information processing problems and solve them. For some fundamental information-processing tasks (compression/communication/estimation), fundamental limits will be derived and algorithms approaching these limits will be presented and analysed. This will give students the tools to analyse the plethora of data-processing tasks common in the modern world, and design protocols for them.
Learning outcomes
This unit should enable students to:
How you will learn
The unit will be taught through a combination of:
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
The unit will be taught through a combination of:
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
80% timed final examination
20% group-based work
When assessment does not go to plan
If you fail this unit and are required to resit, reassessment is by a written examination in the August/September Resit and Supplementary exam period.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. MATH30032).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
