What is Shannon's theorem?

Shannon’s theorem is like a super helpful rule that tells you how many messages you can send clearly through a channel, depending on how noisy it is.

Imagine you're playing telephone with your friends, but instead of whispering, you're using a walkie-talkie. Sometimes the signal gets messed up, this is like noise in the channel. Shannon’s theorem says that if you know how much noise there is, you can figure out the best way to send your message so it still makes sense on the other end.

Think of each message as a letter you're sending through the walkie-talkie. If the channel is really noisy, like when you're far away and it's windy, you might need to send more letters (or more information) to make sure your friend still understands what you said.

But if the channel is quiet, you don’t need as many letters. It’s like having a clear line of sight versus shouting across a busy street.

Shannon’s theorem gives you the exact number of messages, or how much information, you can send clearly without getting lost in the noise. It's like having a cheat sheet for your walkie-talkie game!