Transferring information faster than the speed of light. Construction of long-distance communication systems. Methods of transmitting information (means of communication)

Human development has never occurred evenly; there have been periods of stagnation and technological breakthroughs. The history of funds developed in the same way. Interesting facts and discoveries in this area in historical sequence are presented in this article. Incredibly, what modern society cannot imagine its existence without today was considered impossible and fantastic, and often absurd, by humanity at the beginning of the twentieth century.

At the dawn of development

Since ancient times and up to our era, humanity has actively used sound and light as the main means of transmitting information; the history of their use goes back thousands of years. In addition to the various sounds with which our ancient ancestors warned their fellow tribesmen of danger or called them to hunt, light also became an opportunity to convey important messages over long distances. For this purpose, signal fires, torches, burning spears, arrows and other devices were used. Guard posts with signal fires were built around the villages so that danger would not take people by surprise. The variety of information that needed to be conveyed led to the use of a kind of codes and auxiliary technical sound elements, such as drums, whistles, gongs, animal horns and others.

The use of codes at sea as a prototype of the telegraph

The encoding received particular development when moving on water. When man first went to sea, the first lighthouses appeared. The ancient Greeks used certain combinations of torches to convey messages in letters. Signal flags of various shapes and colors were also used at sea. Thus, such a concept as semaphore appeared, when different messages could be transmitted using special positions of flags or lanterns. These were the first attempts at telegraphy. Later came rockets. Despite the fact that the history of the development of means of information transmission does not stand still, and incredible evolution has occurred since primitive times, these means of communication in many countries and spheres of life have not yet lost their importance.

The first methods of storing information

However, humanity was concerned not only with the means of transmitting information. The history of its storage also dates back to the beginning of time. An example of this is the rock paintings in various ancient caves, because it is thanks to them that one can judge some aspects of the life of people in ancient times. Methods of remembering, recording and storing information developed, and drawings in caves were replaced by cuneiform, followed by hieroglyphs, and finally writing. We can say that from this moment the history of creating means of transmitting information on a global scale begins.

The invention of writing became the first information revolution in the history of mankind, because it became possible to accumulate, distribute and transmit knowledge to future generations. Writing gave a powerful impetus to the cultural and economic development of those civilizations that mastered it before others. In the 16th century, printing was invented, which became a new wave of the information revolution. It became possible to store information in large volumes, and it became more accessible, as a result of which the concept of “literacy” became more widespread. This is a very important moment in the history of human civilization, because books became the property of not only one country, but also the whole world.

Postal message

Mail as a means of communication began to be used even before the invention of writing. Messengers initially conveyed oral messages. However, with the advent of the opportunity to write a message, this type of communication has become even more in demand. The messengers were initially on foot, later on horseback. In developed ancient civilizations there was a well-established postal service based on the relay race principle. The first postal services originated in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. They were mainly used for military purposes. The Egyptian postal system was one of the first and highly developed; it was the Egyptians who first began to use carrier pigeons. Subsequently, mail began to spread to other civilizations.

Information is a set of ones and zeros, which means the task is to accurately transmit a certain sequence of these ones and zeros from point A to point B, from receiver to transmitter.

This occurs either through a wire carrying an electrical signal (or a light signal in a fiber optic cable), or in the wireless case, the same signal is transmitted using radio waves.

To transmit a sequence of ones and zeros, you just need to agree on which signal will mean a one and which will mean a zero.

There can be many types of such modulations as many as there are properties of radio waves.

Waves have amplitude. Great, we can use a change in the amplitude of the carrier wave to encode our zeros and ones - this is amplitude modulation, in which case the amplitude of the signal for transmitting a zero can be (for example) half that for a one.
Waves have a frequency. Changing the frequency can also be used - this will already be frequency modulation, such modulation in a similar way represents a logical unit with an interval with a higher frequency than zero.
Coding using changes in the phase of the carrier wave - phase modulation.

So, you are talking on the phone, the sound enters the microphone, then to the converter and to the transmitter, the transmitter emits radio waves modulated, that is, changed so that they carry a certain signal, in the case of a telephone - an audio signal.

In the receiver antenna, which is located on the nearest house/tower, under the influence of radio waves, electrical oscillations of the same frequency as the radio wave arise, the receiver receives the signal, and then a bunch of converters, transmitters, receivers and wires between them come into play...

The principle is the same as the radio, it’s practically the same thing. Electromagnetic waves of radio frequencies (that is, with a very long wavelength) are used to transmit information. Some characteristic of the wave (amplitude or frequency) is selected. Then the so-called modulation occurs. Roughly speaking (very simplified), in the case of mobile communications, the characteristic of the original wave carrying the signal is matched with the characteristic of the acoustic wave, that is, in fact, using the information contained in the original wave, your phone creates sound waves that your ears can perceive.

Let the variable parameter of the carrier signal wave be frequency, for example. On your fingers: here the frequency is n Hz, here m Hz, then the frequencies of the sound wave are assigned to these frequencies, and the vibrator in the phone creates the same sound waves.

Answer

Comment

There are ADCs in electronic devices. And a DAC. The first converts an analog signal (sound) into digital, and the second vice versa. The moment of working with digital is modulation. There is also Kotelnikov’s theorem, which says that any signal can be represented as the sum of an array of digits from the special sinc function. Basically, it is already imprisoned in software. To smooth the signal or suppress flickering interference, use the Fourier transform and search for the maximum signal/(noise + noise) ratio. There is also the criterion of maximum and minimum (the point is simply in relation to what we are counting). Smoothing is an iterative combination of the values of the i-th digits (the values of a digital signal, that is, a regular function, for example a sine) with a certain step h. Less h, more i - better smoothing. But the algorithm is slower.

Everyone writes about telephone conversations, half of them write in semi-professional “slang”... They asked - as for absolute zeros in this... Eh... Even though my answer will be at the very bottom, and no one will reach it, I consider it my sacred duty to tell: D

We've already talked about telephony here, but not about bluetooth and Wi-Fi. And it's quite interesting there. The technology is the same in both cases: radio waves of a certain range are used (everything is strictly regulated). Device A takes information, dances over it with a tambourine, converts it into 1010001, for example, and sends it via radio waves, and device B converts radio waves into 1010001, dances the reverse dance with a tambourine and receives the original information. And now some details in a fun and understandable language:

Alice went to Bob's cafe (your phone ended up with you in a cafe with Wi-Fi or at a friend's house). She turned off the music, took off her headphones (you turned on Wi-Fi on your phone), and immediately heard Bob from the counter yelling at the entire cafe so that you could hear it on the street:

My name is Bob (Wi-Fi network "Bob"), I'm nearby (Signal level: excellent), after coffee I'm still being pinned (Transmission speed: 24.3 Mbps), I protect myself (Security: WPA2 PSK) and don't give strangers (Password protected).

“Some kind of preoccupied idiot... Well, anything is better than nothing,” thought Alice and said hello (when connecting to Wi-Fi, the first thing you do is introduce your phone).

Bob looked at her, squinted suspiciously and asked (enter password): “We haven’t met before, what do we need?”

“For a seller in a cafe, this is somehow too rude...”, Alice noted to herself, but did not become rude in response, but simply said in an offended tone that she had come to buy coffee and a donut.

Oh, excuse me, please! I have so few visitors-BUYERS lately, mostly only schoolchildren come to take a look. And the day as a whole is bad, so it happened accidentally... For God’s sake, don’t take it to heart, sit down, I’ll do everything now. By the way, here's our discount card!

(After checking the password, if everything is correct, the router gives your phone an ID (like putting a sticker on your forehead - it will recognize you at first sight), and then tells you the encryption key for the transmitted information)

Many people imagine the transmission of information by radio waves as “From point A to point B. In a straight line.” In fact, the router sends a signal in all directions. Your phone, being “in the affected area,” catches it and also responds in all directions. The router picks up a signal, etc. In this regard (there are no several direct connections, but simply a huge cloud of mixed radio waves), all devices sending information each time introduce themselves, name the addressee, and only then speak the information.

That is, both Alice and Bob will always shout at the top of their voices (even if next to each other) something like “Alice to Bob [lyrashubvloubtslo (encrypted information)]”, “Bob to Alice [ftallk]”, “Bob To Everyone [My name is Bob (and further in the text)]", "Bob to Sarah [aooooaroaoa]".

Bluetooth and telephony work the same way, the protocols (the rules by which parties introduce themselves, negotiate, and interact in general) are just different.

We talked about the basic principles of transmission here (DAC, ADC, coding, radio waves, modulation and other bells and whistles of radio physics and radio engineering), but why is transmission possible?
If in general it is clear how information is transmitted over a regular wire (let’s say an electrical signal through a SW cable), then the propagation of radio waves is a process that largely depends on many parameters of the medium and the configuration of the wave itself (frequency/wavelength).
For example, the transmission of information in fiber optic networks is possible due to the phenomenon of total internal reflection of light (light, as we know, is partly a wave).

Some waves propagate (let's say roughly) directly from the source to the receiver. This is the so-called line of sight area. Here we will include television and mobile communications mentioned in the question. Well, everyone’s favorite Wi-Fi. The radio waves used in them belong to the VHF range (ultra-short waves), and therefore to the microwave (ultra high frequencies).
What determines the possibility of spreading this range? Again, depending on the presence of obstacles. Various obstacles (walls, ceilings, furniture, metal doors, etc.) located between Wi-Fi and devices can partially or significantly reflect/absorb radio signals, resulting in partial or complete loss of signal.

In cities with multi-storey buildings, the main obstacle to the radio signal is buildings. The presence of permanent walls (concrete + reinforcement), sheet metal, plaster on the walls, steel frames, etc. affects the quality of the radio signal and can significantly degrade the performance of Wi-Fi devices.

Why is this happening? We open a school physics textbook and find the phenomenon of diffraction, the main condition of which is that the wavelength is commensurate with the size of the obstacles. For the same 4g, the wavelength is 1 cm to 10 cm (now let’s estimate the height and length of the walls of a five-story building). Therefore, they try to place mobile communication towers higher than city buildings so that the waves not only bend around obstacles (diffraction), but literally fall on our heads.

But don’t forget about the signal strength! A low-power signal is more likely to fall into oblivion than a powerful one.

Briefly for non-professionals:
1) Signal transmission over the air (without wires) is possible due to the presence of such a physical phenomenon as electromagnetic waves, or, in short, radio waves. (In fact, without them, even life is impossible - this is one of the foundations of nature). More than 100 years ago, humanity learned to use radio waves to transmit information.
2) It is very difficult and long to explain how this happens in detail, although some here have tried. Well, I'll try it too. Digital signals (zeros and ones) are encoded, encrypted and converted in a special way. Redundant information is removed from a set of numbers (for example, there is no point in transmitting many zeros or ones in a row, you can only transmit information about how many there are), then they are mixed in a special way and a little redundant information is added - this is to be able to recover lost data (transmission errors inevitable), then they are modulated. In the modulator, a certain set of units and numbers is assigned to a certain state of the radio wave (most often this is the state of phase and amplitude). The smaller the sequence of digits we encode, the greater the noise immunity, but the less information can be transmitted per unit of time (that is, the information transfer rate will be lower). Next, the signal is transferred to the desired frequency and sent on the air. The reverse conversion occurs at the receiver. In reality, different information transfer protocols add their own additional problems: encryption, security coding, and often the modulated signal is remodulated again (hierarchical modulation). And all in order to increase the speed and quality of information transfer. The more problems, the higher the price of devices, but when some information transfer protocol becomes widespread and standard, the price of chips begins to fall, and devices become cheaper. So Wi-max was never really launched - engineers from various companies could not agree on standardization, and LTE quickly went to the masses.
The difference between the transmission of digital signals and analogue ones is also that digital signals are transmitted in packets. This allows the receiver and transmitter to operate on the same frequency in turn, and also distribute the signal between several users at the same time so that they usually do not notice it. Some protocols allow several different transmitters to operate on the same frequency, and modulation methods “cope” with high noise levels and problems with multipath reception (this is when the receiver receives several reflected copies of one radio wave, which is especially typical for cities).
Before being transmitted over digital communication channels, analog signals (image and sound) are first digitized, that is, converted into a sequence of zeros and ones, which, by the way, are also “mocked”: unnecessary information is removed, coded against errors, etc.
Digital methods of transmitting information allow us to more efficiently and economically use a limited natural resource - the radio frequency spectrum (the totality of all possible radio waves), but, you know (let's cry), if aliens ever discover our digital signals, it is unlikely that they will decode them and understand them - very everything is already “twisted”. For the same reason, we most likely will not understand their signals.

In the modern world, communication systems play an important role in the development of our world. Information transmission channels literally entangle our planet, connecting various information networks into a single global network, the Internet. The wonderful world of modern technology includes cutting-edge discoveries in science and technology, often also associated with the amazing possibilities of the quantum world. It is safe to say that today quantum technologies have firmly entered our lives. Any mobile device in our pockets is equipped with a memory chip that works using quantum charge tunneling. A similar technical solution allowed Toshiba engineers to build a floating-gate transistor in 1984, which became the basis for the construction of modern memory chips. We use such devices every day without thinking about what their operation is based on. And while physicists are racking their brains trying to explain the paradoxes of quantum mechanics, technological development is taking advantage of the amazing possibilities of the quantum world.

In this article we will look at the interference of light, and analyze methods for constructing a communication channel for instantaneous information transfer using quantum technologies. Although many believe that it is impossible to transmit information faster than the speed of light, with the right approach even this task becomes solvable. I think you can see this for yourself.

Introduction

Surely many people know about a phenomenon called interference. A beam of light is directed onto an opaque screen with two parallel slits, behind which a projection screen is installed. The peculiarity of the slits is that their width is approximately equal to the wavelength of the emitted light. The projection screen produces a series of alternating interference fringes. This experiment, first performed by Thomas Young, demonstrates the interference of light, providing experimental evidence for the wave theory of light in the early 19th century.

It makes sense that photons would pass through the slits, creating two parallel stripes of light on the back screen. But instead, many stripes are formed on the screen, in which areas of light and darkness alternate. The point is that when light behaves like a wave, each slit is a source of secondary waves. In places where secondary waves reach the screen in the same phase, their amplitudes add up, which creates a maximum brightness. And where the waves are in antiphase, their amplitudes are compensated, which creates a minimum of brightness. A periodic change in brightness during the superposition of secondary waves creates interference fringes on the screen.

But why does light behave like a wave? At the beginning, scientists assumed that perhaps the photons were colliding with each other and decided to release them one by one. Within an hour, an interference pattern again formed on the screen. Attempts to explain this phenomenon led to the assumption that the photon splits, passes through both slits, and collides with itself and forms an interference pattern on the screen.

The curiosity of the scientists did not give rest. They wanted to know which slit the photon actually passed through, so they decided to observe. To reveal this secret, detectors were placed in front of each slit to record the passage of a photon. During the experiment, it turned out that the photon passes through only one slit, either through the first or through the second. As a result, two parallel stripes of light appeared on the screen, without a single hint of interference. Observing photons destroyed the wave function of light, and photons began to behave like particles! While photons are in quantum uncertainty, they propagate as waves. But when they are observed, photons lose their wave function and begin to behave like particles.

Then the experiment was repeated again, with the detectors turned on, but without recording data on the trajectory of the photons. Despite the fact that the experiment completely repeats the previous one, with the exception of the possibility of obtaining information, after some time an interference pattern of light and dark stripes again formed on the screen.

It turns out that not any observation has an impact, but only one that can provide information about the trajectory of photons. And this is confirmed by the following experiment, when the trajectory of photons is tracked not with the help of detectors installed in front of each slit, but with the help of additional traps, which can be used to restore the trajectory of movement without interacting with the original photons.

Quantum eraser

Let's start with the simplest diagram (this is just a schematic representation of the experiment, and not the actual installation diagram).

Let's send a laser beam to a translucent mirror (PP). Typically, such a mirror reflects half of the light falling on it, and the other half passes through. But photons, being in a state of quantum uncertainty, hitting a translucent mirror, choose both directions simultaneously. Then, each ray is reflected by mirrors (1) And (2) hits the screen, where we observe interference fringes. It's simple and clear: photons behave like waves.

Now let’s try to understand exactly which path the photons took—the upper or the lower. To do this, we will install down converters on each path (DK). A down converter is a device that, when one photon hits it, produces 2 photons at the output (each with half the energy), one of which hits the screen ( signal photon), and the second one hits the detector (3) or (4) (idler photon). Having received data from the detectors, we will know which path each photon took. In this case, the interference pattern disappears, because we have found out exactly where the photons passed, which means we have destroyed quantum uncertainty.

Next we will complicate the experiment a little. Let's place reflecting mirrors on the path of each “idler” photon and direct them to the second translucent mirror (to the left of the source in the diagram). The passage of a second semi-transparent mirror erases information about the trajectory of idler photons and restores interference (according to the design of the Mach Zehnder interferometer). Regardless of which detector works, we will not be able to find out which path the photons took. With this intricate circuit, we erase the path selection information and restore quantum uncertainty. As a result, an interference pattern will be displayed on the screen.

If we decide to extend the mirrors, then " single"photons will hit the detectors again (3) And (4) , and as we know, the interference pattern will disappear on the screen. This means that by changing the position of the mirrors, we can change the picture displayed on the screen. This means that you can use this to encode binary information.

You can simplify the experiment a little and get the same result by moving a translucent mirror along the way "single" photons:

As we see, "single" photons travel more distance than their partners that hit the screen. It is logical to assume that if the image on the screen is formed earlier, then the resulting picture should not correspond to whether we determine the trajectory of the photons or erase this information. But practical experiments show the opposite - regardless of the distance, the image on the screen always corresponds to the actions performed with single photons. According to information from Wikipedia:

The main result of the experiment is that it does not matter whether the erasure process was performed before or after the photons reached the detector screen.

A similar experience is also described in Brian Greene's book "The fabric of space and space". This seems incredible, changing the cause-and-effect relationships. Let's try to figure out what's what.

A little theory

If we look at Einstein's special theory of relativity, as speed increases, time slows down, according to the formula:

Where r is the duration of time, v is the relative speed of the object.

The speed of light is a limiting value, so for the particles of light themselves (photons), time slows down to zero. It would be more correct to say for photons does not exist time, for them there is only the current moment in which they are at any point in their trajectory. This may seem strange, because we are accustomed to believing that light from distant stars reaches us after millions of years. But with the ISO of light particles, photons reach the observer at the same moment in time as they are emitted by distant stars.

The fact is that the present time for stationary objects and moving objects may not coincide. To imagine time, it is necessary to consider space-time as a continuous block extended in time. The slices that form a block are moments of present time for the observer. Each slice represents space at one point in time from his point of view. This moment includes all points in space and all events in the universe that appear to the observer as happening simultaneously.

Depending on the speed of movement, the slice of present time will divide space-time at different angles. In the direction of movement, the slice of the present time shifts to the future. In the opposite direction, the slice of present time shifts into the past.

The higher the movement speed, the greater the cutting angle. At the speed of light, the slice of present time has a maximum displacement angle of 45°, at which time stops and photons remain at one point in time at any point in their trajectory.

A reasonable question arises: how can a photon simultaneously be in different points of space? Let's try to figure out what happens to space at the speed of light. As is known, as the speed increases, the effect of a relativistic reduction in length is observed, according to the formula:

Where l is the length, and v is the relative speed of the object.

It is not difficult to notice that at the speed of light any length in space will be compressed to zero size. This means that in the direction of photon movement, space is compressed into a small point of Planck dimensions, at which the very concept of space-time disappears. You can say for photons does not exist space, since their entire trajectory in space with the ISO of photons is at one point.

So now we know that no matter the distance traveled signaling And single photons simultaneously reach the screen and detectors, since from the point of view of photons does not exist neither time nor space. Considering quantum entanglement signal And single photons, any impact on one photon will instantly affect the state of its partner. Accordingly, the picture on the screen should always correspond to whether we determine the trajectory of the photons or erase this information. This provides the potential for instant transfer of information. One has only to take into account that the observer does not move at the speed of light, and therefore the picture on the screen must be analyzed after the idler photons reach the detectors.

Practical implementation

Let's leave the theory to the theorists and return to the practical part of our experiment. To get a picture on the screen, you need to turn on the light source and direct a stream of photons to the screen. Encoding of information will occur at a remote object, by moving a translucent mirror along the way single photons. The transmitting device is expected to encode information at regular intervals, for example transmitting each bit of data in a hundredth of a second.

A sensitive digital matrix can be used as a screen to directly record alternating changes. The recorded information must then be delayed until the idler photons reach their destination. After this, you can begin to analyze the recorded information one by one to obtain the transmitted information. For example, if the encoding device is located on Mars, then the analysis of information must begin with a delay of ten to twenty minutes (exactly as long as it takes light to reach the red planet). Despite the fact that the information is analyzed with a lag of tens of minutes, the information received will correspond to what is transmitted from Mars at the current time. Accordingly, together with adopted The device will have to install a laser range finder in order to accurately determine the time interval from which to begin analyzing the transmitted information.

It is also necessary to take into account that the environment has a negative impact on the transmitted information. As photons pass through air space, a process of decoherence occurs, increasing interference in the transmitted signal. To eliminate the influence of the environment as much as possible, you can transmit signals in airless space using communication satellites.

By organizing two-way communication, in the future it will be possible to build communication channels for instant transmission of information to any distance that our spacecraft can reach. Such communication channels will be simply necessary if prompt access to the Internet is required outside our planet.

P.S. There was one question left that we tried to avoid: what happens if we look at the screen before the idler photons reach the detectors? Theoretically (from the point of view of Einstein's theory of relativity), we should see future events. Moreover, if we reflected idle photons from a distant mirror and returned them back, we could know our own future. But in reality, our world is much more mysterious, therefore, it is difficult to give the correct answer without conducting practical experiments. Perhaps we will see the most likely future. But as soon as we receive this information, the future may change and an alternative branch of events may arise (according to Everett's many-worlds interpretation hypothesis). Or perhaps we will see a mixture of interference and two bands (if the picture is made up of all possible futures).

Information process- the process of receiving, creating, collecting, processing, accumulating, storing, searching, distributing and using information. . People familiar with computer science, of course, know this term, and not only them. It can be argued that information processes are the basis of life as we know it. This article presents the basic algorithm of the information process and various forms of its execution.

Information process as a scientific concept

Any actions performed with information are called information processes. The main role here is played by the collection, processing, creation, storage and transmission of information. Throughout its history, humanity has developed these and other processes, as well as related industries. One of the main criteria for the development of society was the improvement of information processes. Art, religion, writing, encryption, printing, copyright, telegraph, radio electronics, computers, the Internet - this is only the main part of humanity’s achievements in the field of working with information.
It should be noted that despite the apparent certainty, the scientific community continues to debate about the universality of the term “information” itself. In particular, “information” is not synonymous with “data,” although in colloquial speech this is often the case. “Data” is information interpreted, processed and recorded in an understandable form, a product of the information process. That is, information is a resource, data is a final, processed product that has been processed by the information process. But like any product, data is consumed to obtain some result. In its simplest form, you can imagine the following diagram:

SOURCE	INFORMATION	RECEIVER/PROCESSOR	DATA
Star XXX	Light, radio and other waves	Telescope and computer	Temperature, brightness, size, range, etc.
Foreigner	Speech in an unknown language	Translator	Speech in understandable language

Information processes are inherent in all biological organisms on the planet, from protozoa to humans. But man created computer systems and specific information channels, which gave rise to a special type of them - computer science. Despite the unified scheme of the information process algorithm, both in nature and in computer science, they are quite different in essence. And the differences are primarily in interpretation.
In particular, if you place a person, a dog, a snake, a flower in a room and give a voice signal through a loudspeaker, everyone’s reaction will be fundamentally different, which means that from the same information, each processor will produce completely different data. In particular, a dog and a snake are both capable of hearing, but if a dog can at least somehow understand a person’s commands, a snake is incapable of this. The flower will not even be able to perceive a sound signal, although in principle it is capable of receiving and processing information - some plants can even move after the sun or if they are disturbed. So the following diagram is the possibility of interpretation:

Basic elements of the information process

Information process– these are sequential actions built into an algorithm, performed with information presented in any form (digital/analog data, rumors, theories, facts, observations, etc.) to achieve a certain goal (any). This algorithm consists of a number of steps that may differ significantly in a given situation, but the general concept is as follows:

Main types of information processes

Collection of information. Finding and collecting primary information, extracting it from its “environment”. Sometimes, perhaps even without a specific final goal. The information obtained as a result of collection can be used by various processors for different purposes. Thus, archaeologists conducting excavations collect all the objects they find that seem interesting to them, but only after careful analysis will they turn into some kind of scientific data, and the result of the analysis may turn out to be completely unexpected, and in addition to fragments of ancient jugs, deposits of useful materials may be discovered fossils.

Search for information. Finding more or less specific information on a specific issue for a specific purpose from specific sources. In this case, the search occurs among information previously collected and possibly processed by someone, and not from the “environment.” For searching, various databases (places for storing information) are mainly used, for example, a question to the search network “how to cook borscht”.

Data processing. A set of actions aimed at one or another transformation of initial information into new information. Probably the most important and complex information process. Although, sometimes in society it may be difficult to distinguish it from others, for example from the presentation of information, but information processing always has the task of achieving something new from existing information, in fact creating a new information object. A writer who writes down his thoughts on paper actually presents the information, but the processing took place in his brain a little earlier - from his own knowledge, experience and emotions, he created words that he eventually presented in the form of text.

Presentation of information. Changing the source information into a form convenient and relevant for its use in the current situation. Most often found in computer science - in the computer memory, all information is stored in the form of binary code, but is presented to the user in the form of graphic data and sounds. But a person very often presents information, for example, in the form of compiling card files from scattered documents, translating foreign texts, or playing music from notes on paper.

Data storage. Perhaps the most widely used type of information process. One way or another, all biological objects store information, at least in the form of a genome. Information storage is divided into two main types - long-term and short-term. They are intended, of course, for completely different purposes. Only those actions that should ultimately lead to the reuse of stored information can be considered for storing information.

Transfer of information. Delivery of information from a source to a consumer without the actual participation of the transmitter in any other parts of the information process. Absolutely any object can act as a transmitter, both biological (a messenger with a dispatch, a dog barking at a stranger in the yard), and any physical media or repeaters (a book, a radio transmitter, a flash card). The transfer of information is not always identical to communications, since here the transmitting object is only a tool.

Data protection. Any action that uses some additional means to protect information from use by another party. Information protection is relevant only in complex information systems with many participants, since it is needed solely to prevent an unwanted element from using certain information. In fact, the only way to protect information is encryption of one kind or another. It would be incorrect to call hiding information a way to protect it, since hidden information does not require protection, because it does not participate in any process.
Use of information. The most voluminous information process. It is informed decision-making in various types of human activity in the broadest sense.

List of sources:

State standard of the Russian Federation “Information protection. The procedure for creating automated systems in a secure design" (GOST R 51583-2000 clause 3.1.10).
ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765-2010 Systems and software engineering p 3.704

Information process, concept updated: September 22, 2018 by: Roman Boldyrev

Lesson objectives:

Reinforce the concept of information.
To form an understanding of the methods of transmitting information at different stages of human development.
Talk about the language of transmitting information.
Find out what technical means can be used to transmit information.
Form the concept of “interference” and find out ways to overcome them.

During the classes.

There is a number written on the board, the topic of the lesson: “Transmission of information”, definition:

Computer science is the science of methods of transmitting, storing and processing information.

Human development would be impossible without the exchange of information. Since ancient times, people from generation to generation have passed on their knowledge, notified about danger or conveyed important and urgent information, and exchanged information. Initially, people used only means of short-range communication: speech, hearing, vision.

1.Tell me what might be common between the poet A.S. Pushkin and computer science?

It turns out that the great poet, an exponent of his era, left evidence of how in ancient times people transmitted information. Remember:

The wind blows across the sea and propels the boat,

He runs in the waves on swollen sails.

The ship delivered sailors to different countries, they traded their goods, learned news from different countries and talked about their country. On land, all important news was delivered by a messenger - a person conveying oral messages. The development of writing gave rise to - Mail.

2. In what ways do you know that mail has moved since ancient times?

It is known, for example, that fire communication is used in the Caucasus. Two campfire signalmen were located within line of sight on elevated places or towers. When danger was approaching, signalmen lit a chain of fires to warn the population about it.

For example, in St. Petersburg at the beginning of the 19th century, the fire service was developed. In several parts of the city, high towers were built from which the surrounding area could be viewed. If there was a fire, then during the day a multi-colored flag with one or another geometric figure was raised on the tower, and at night several lanterns were lit, the number and location of which indicated the part of the city where the fire occurred, as well as the degree of its complexity.

In which works does the fire tower as a means of visual

observations?

In which films have you seen the transmission of information about danger through

lighting fires on the towers

In which films was the transfer of information through guards to

towers?

Consider the situation:

“Two deaf people met. One is holding a fishing rod in his hand.

Another asks:

Are you going fishing?

No, I'm going fishing.

I thought you were going fishing...”

What prevented the exchange of information? The information was transmitted, but did not reach the recipient due to the lack of physical ability to perceive it. After all, with any exchange of information there must be a source and a receiver.

When you read a book, this book is a source of information for you, and you are a receiver of this information. Put away the book, and the information in it will become inaccessible to you, since its source has disappeared. Close your eyes or go into another room - then there will be no information receiver for the book.

First conclusion: If there is a transfer of information, then there is necessarily its source and its receiver (receiver).

Here are some situations in which information transfer can be detected. Determine who or what is the source and who or what is the receiver.

A pedestrian crosses the road at a controlled intersection.
A schoolboy learns lessons from a textbook.
A boy plays on the computer.
You dial a phone number to make a call.
You are writing a greeting card.
You write the address and zip code on the envelope.

Please note that in some situations information is transferred only in one direction, while in others there is a mutual exchange of information.

3.In which of the previous situations does information exchange take place and who at what point becomes either a source or a receiver?

Could it be that:

1. One source of information, but several receivers? Give examples.

2. Are there several sources of information, but one receiver? Give examples.

3. Give examples of mutual exchange of information.

When transmitting information, the form of presentation of information plays an important role. It may be understandable to the source of information, but not understandable to the recipient. If I start talking to you in English, then despite the fact that you have been studying English since the first grade, you will not be able to understand me, but will only understand certain words from my speech.

But students of lyceums with in-depth study of the English language would be able to understand my speech, that is, the perception of information from the level of preparedness of the receiving object.

The same information can be transmitted by different signals and even in completely different ways. To transmit information, it is not so important how to transmit it, but the main thing is to agree in advance on how to understand certain signals. And if we agree on this, then a code or cipher is already obtained. So, for example, if the red signal is on, it means you cannot cross the street. The light turns green - go and don’t be afraid.

What codes do you know?

There are simply codes that we have long been accustomed to, which we have studied well and easily understand. And others are new to us, or even completely incomprehensible.

For example: In Russian – DOG; in Polish – Рies; in English – Dog; in French – Chien; in German - Нund.

The following codes are also used to evaluate your knowledge at school:

Excellent knowledge – “5”; good – “4”; satisfactory – “3”; bad – “2”, and if you don’t know anything, then you can get one. Let’s say you got an “A” and you go home happy. And the German boy goes with an “A” and cries bitterly, because in that country, the same code “5” means poor knowledge - like ours “1”. It turns out that the same numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 have different meanings for assessing knowledge in different countries.

Second conclusion: The signal itself does not yet carry information. Only when some code is transmitted using signals can we talk about the transmission of information.

To communicate with each other we use a code - the Russian language. When speaking, this code is transmitted by sounds; when writing, it is transmitted by conventional signs - letters.

The driver, conveying information to an absent-minded pedestrian that he is driving along the road, can flash his headlights or sound his horn.

When you make a phone call, you also transmit a code to the telephone exchange - you dial the phone number.

The same code entry can mean completely different things depending on what meaning we associate with this code. For example, the set of numbers 120595 can mean:

Postcode;

Distance between cities in meters;

Phone number;

Write down several options for what the entry 14-10 could mean?

So, in any process of transfer or exchange of information there is its source And recipient, and the information itself is transmitted via communication channel using signals: mechanical, thermal, electrical and others.

In ordinary life, for a person, any sound and light are signals that carry meaning. For example, a siren is a sound alarm sign; phone ringing - a signal to pick up the phone; A red traffic light is a signal prohibiting crossing the road. If we notice some change in the environment, then we can say that an event has occurred. The school bell suddenly rang after a long silence - an event occurred - the lesson ended. At the kettle on the stove, steam suddenly came out of the spout - an event occurred - the water in the kettle began to boil.

Give more examples of events from your life.

So, the “Communication Channel” is involved in the transmission of information. Let's deal with him.

Let's consider our lesson from the point of view of transmitting information.

I am the source, I speak to you in Russian, encoding the speech in words that you understand. The communication channel is the air medium that transmits the vibrations produced by me. You are the recipients of information. Your ear perceives air vibrations, deciphers the information, and you understand what is being discussed in the lesson. Let's imagine that you were distracted, and then part of what I said did not reach you, and you leave the lesson without understanding what was said in the lesson. A familiar situation, isn't it? This is why teachers constantly ask you not to be distracted and not to distract others, since it is difficult to learn material that you have not listened to the teacher explain.

Let's take a little rest. Let's play the game: “Deaf telephone”. The presenter passes the word into the first player's ear so that no one hears. He, in turn, passes it on to the next and so on. Then the presenter asks the last player to hear the word, then the previous one, and further down the chain. It turns out that the original information was incredibly distorted. The reason may be poorly heard information or a deliberately incorrectly conveyed word. In this example, we understand that not all information reaches the recipient in its original form.

It turns out that in order to get to its recipient, information goes through an even more complex path. When speaking, people encode their speech in words that are understandable to others. Vibrations through the air reach the ear of the interlocutor, enter the brain, are decoded, and only then does the process of transmitting information occur. This is how it happens.

Complete information transfer scheme.

If a technical device (telephone, computer or something else) acts as a source of information, then the information from it goes to encoder, which is designed to transform the original message into a form convenient for transmission. You come across such devices all the time: a telephone microphone, a sheet of paper, and so on.

Through the communication channel, information reaches decoder recipient, which converts the encoded message into a form that the recipient can understand.

Give examples of encoding and decoding devices.

Write down how information is transferred in a computer from the keyboard to the monitor screen according to this scheme.

Third conclusion: During the transmission process, information can be lost or distorted..

This occurs due to various interferences on the communication channel and during encoding and decoding of information. You encounter such situations quite often: distortion of sound on the telephone, interference during television transmission, telegraph errors, incompleteness of transmitted information, incorrectly expressed thoughts, errors in calculations. Let us remember again the fairy tale about Tsar Saltan, and other literary works, when someone always interferes with the heroes. There are a huge number of coding methods used by intelligence agencies, and even more people work on decoding information in national security agencies. Issues related to methods of encoding and decoding information are dealt with by a special science - cryptography.

Humanity has always strived to transmit information without interference, creating ever new and reliable means of communication.

In the 18th century, the semaphore telegraph appeared. This is a light connection.

The 19th century was very rich in discoveries in the field of communications. In this century, people mastered electricity, which gave rise to many discoveries. First P.L. Schelling invented the electric telegraph in Russia in 1832. In 1837, the American S. Morse created an electromagnetic telegraph apparatus and came up with a special telegraph code - the alphabet, which now bears his name. In 1876, the American A. Bell invented the telephone.

In 1895, Russian inventor A.S. Popov opened the era of radio communications. Television can be considered the most remarkable invention of the 20th century. Space exploration led to the creation of satellite communications. Among the latest innovations is fiber-optic communication, but we will get acquainted with it at the “Informatics and Communications” exhibition. The most modern means of communication will be presented there, and you will see projects that have not yet been implemented, which will be the pride of our science and industry.

Homework: while watching television, write down examples of communication tools; record interference, if observed, its frequency and cause.