Student edition of the classic text in information and coding theory

This text is an elementary introduction to information and coding theory. The first part focuses on information theory, covering uniquely decodable and instantaneous codes, Huffman coding, entropy, information channels, and Shannon’s Fundamental Theorem. In the second part, linear algebra is used to construct examples of such codes, such as the Hamming, Hadamard, Golay and Reed-Muller codes. Contains proofs, worked examples, and exercises.

This book is intended to introduce coding theory and information theory to undergraduate students of mathematics and computer science. It begins with a review of probablity theory as applied to finite sample spaces and a general introduction to the nature and types of codes. The two subsequent chapters discuss information theory: efficiency of codes, the entropy of information sources, and Shannon's Noiseless Coding Theorem. The remaining three chapters deal with coding theory: communication channels, decoding in the presence of errors, the general theory of linear codes, and such specific codes as Hamming codes, the simplex codes, and many others.

Focusing on both theory and practical applications, this volume combines in a natural way the two major aspects of information representation--representation for storage (coding theory) and representation for transmission (information theory).

This book is an introduction to information and coding theory at the graduate or advanced undergraduate level. It assumes a basic knowledge of probability and modern algebra, but is otherwise self- contained. The intent is to describe as clearly as possible the fundamental issues involved in these subjects, rather than covering all aspects in an encyclopedic fashion. The first quarter of the book is devoted to information theory, including a proof of Shannon's famous Noisy Coding Theorem. The remainder of the book is devoted to coding theory and is independent of the information theory portion of the book. After a brief discussion of general families of codes, the author discusses linear codes (including the Hamming, Golary, the Reed-Muller codes), finite fields, and cyclic codes (including the BCH, Reed-Solomon, Justesen, Goppa, and Quadratic Residue codes). An appendix reviews relevant topics from modern algebra.

The work introduces the fundamentals concerning the measure of discrete information, the modeling of discrete sources without and with a memory, as well as of channels and coding. The understanding of the theoretical matter is supported by many examples. One particular emphasis is put on the explanation of Genomic Coding. Many examples throughout the book are chosen from this particular area and several parts of the book are devoted to this exciting implication of coding.

The imminent exhaustion of the first printing of this monograph and the kind willingness of the publishers have presented me with the opportunity to correct a few minor misprints and to make a number of additions to the first edition. Some of these additions are in the form of remarks scattered throughout the monograph. The principal additions are Chapter 11, most of Section 6. 6 (inc1uding Theorem 6. 6. 2), Sections 6. 7, 7. 7, and 4. 9. It has been impossible to inc1ude all the novel and inter esting results which have appeared in the last three years. I hope to inc1ude these in a new edition or a new monograph, to be written in a few years when the main new currents of research are more clearly visible. There are now several instances where, in the first edition, only a weak converse was proved, and, in the present edition, the proof of a strong converse is given. Where the proof of the weaker theorem em ploys a method of general application and interest it has been retained and is given along with the proof of the stronger result. This is wholly in accord with the purpose of the present monograph, which is not only to prove the principal coding theorems but also, while doing so, to acquaint the reader with the most fruitful and interesting ideas and methods used in the theory. I am indebted to Dr.