The Goal

Transfer information from source point to destination correctly

(and using least amount of resources, in most cases)

Information Channel
Information
Generator
Source point

Information
User

Noise
Sources

Destination point

An Example Communication System

X=y

AM Radio
Transmitter

AM Radio
Receiver

AM Radio Transmitter : Amplifies voice signal, modulates an RF signalwith it, radiates via antenna
AM Radio Receiver : Picks up the EM wave, demodulates it, amplifies and converts to pressure waves
Some other examples of (electronic) source, channel and destination
Microphone Twisted pair of wire - Amplifier
Modem - Twisted pair of telephone line - Modem
Fax scanner Telephone system Fax printer
Computer Ethernet cable - Computer
Computers data storage medium Fiber optic network Another computers storage
Digital data generator Magnetic disk Digital data user
Radio transmitter Air Radio receiver
Digital TV data from satellite Atmosphere Digital TV receiver
TV Remote controller Air IR sensor/receiver on TV

Noise Sources

Electronic / Thermal noise

Electrical discharges in the atmosphere / nearby devices
Interference / Crosstalk between channels and multipath effects
Solar / Cosmic effects
Distortion from nonlinearities of the electronics / media
(quantization noise and granular noise are evaluated in different contexts)

Channel input

Channel output

Noise is usually assumed to be (this assumption is not baseless)

Additive : S o = kSi + N
White : |F(N )|=c (has the same power at all frequencies)
Gaussian : Probability distribution function is Gaussian

So it is AWGN

What happens under noise ?

distortion

additive noise

SX
10 PHz

NUV

10 nm
1 PHz
1 m

fiber

EUV

NIR
10 m

100 THz

MIR
FIR

10 THz
100 m
1 THz

1m

VHF

TV

UHF

AM radio

10 m

HF
MF
1 km

LF
10 km

VLF

Twisted pair

100 m

100 GHz
10 GHz
1 GHz
100 MHz

coax

100 mm

microwave

satellite

SHF

terrestrial

10 mm

FM

EHF

radar

1 mm

10 MHz
1 MHz
100 kHz
10 kHz

100 km

VF
ELF

1 kHz