Channel capacity

Shannon's channel capacity: C = B log₂(1 + S/N) bits per second

Channel capacity is the theoretical maximum rate for reliable information transmission over a communication channel. Shannon's theorem states that this capacity is the highest information rate achievable with arbitrarily small error probability. Information theory, developed by Claude E. Shannon, provides a mathematical model to compute this capacity.

Example

Consider a channel with a bandwidth (B) of 3000 Hz and a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 1000. Using Shannon's formula, the channel capacity (C) can be calculated as C = 3000 log₂(1 + 1000) ≈ 30,000 bits per second.

Remember this

Understanding Shannon's channel capacity is crucial for designing efficient communication systems that approach theoretical limits of data transmission.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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