Information theory

The elusive capacity of networksCalculating the total capacity of a data network is a notoriously difficult problem, but information theorists are beginning to make some headway.

The blind codemakerNew error-correcting codes guarantee the fastest possible rate of data transmission, even over fluctuating wireless links.

Perfect communication with imperfect chipsError-correcting codes discovered at MIT can still guarantee reliable communication, even in cellphones with failure-prone low-power chips.

Secure, synchronized, social TVA technique called network coding could protect users’ privacy and providers’ content while making communications networks more efficient.

Prodigy of probabilityNorbert Wiener gained fame as the father of cybernetics, but his earlier work on statistical descriptions of complex systems may prove more important.

How wise are crowds?By melding economics and engineering, researchers show that as social networks get larger, they usually get better at sorting fact from fiction.

Can you find me now?By demonstrating fundamental limits on their accuracy, MIT researchers show how to improve wireless location-detection systems.

Rethinking networkingMIT researchers helped develop a theory that promised much more efficient data networks; then they were the first to put it into practice.

The power of ‘random’A ‘seemingly loopy’ technique that MIT researchers helped develop could dramatically improve the efficiency of communications networks.