John R. Pierce - Böcker

There are many valuable and useful books on electrical communication (References 1-5 are some examples), but they have certain disadvantages for the beginner. The more advanced books present some things in a basic way, but they are very narrow for an introduction to communica­ tion. The introductory books are broader but still narrow by our stan­ dards. Further, they often pick things out of thin air rather than derive them. This book is aimed at giving the beginner a basic understanding of a wide range of topics which are essential in communication systems. These include antennas and transmission, thermal noise and its consequences, Fourier transforms, modulation and noise, sampling and pulse code modulation, autocorrelation and power spectrum, optimum filtering, gauss­ ian noise and errors in digital transmission, data transmission, limits on data rate including information theory and quantum limits, and source encoding. We have not included communications traffic, switching, and multiplexing, nor protocols for digital and computer communications. For these, Reference 6 is excellent. In general, our book does not discuss the circuits used for communication or the physics of radio propagation. We assume that these will be taught in specialized courses, but such courses are not prerequisites for this one. Chapter 1 introduces the transmission formula or antenna equation and antenna directivity. Only a very basic sophomore physics knowledge of electromagnetic theory is assumed. The radar equation is also treated.

The end of a scourge "The prayer that has been mine for twenty years, that I might be permitted in some way or some time to do something to alleviate human suffering, has been answered!"--Major Walter Reed, writing to his wife, New Year's Eve, 1900 As he wrote to his wife of his stunning success in the mission to identify the cause of yellow fever and find a way to eradicate the disease, Walter Reed had answered the prayers of millions. For more than 250 years, the yellow jack had ravaged the Americas, bringing death to millions and striking panic in entire populations. The very mention of its presence in a city or town produced instant chaos as thousands fled in terror, leaving the frail, the weak, and the ill to fend for themselves. Yellow Jack tracks the history of this deadly scourge from its earliest appearance in the Caribbean 350 years ago, telling the compelling story of a few extraordinarily brave souls who struggled to understand and eradicate yellow fever. Risking everything for the cause of science and humanity, Reed and his teammates on the U.S. Army Yellow Fever Board invaded the heart of enemy territory in Cuba to pursue the disease--and made one of the twentieth century's greatest medical discoveries. This thrilling adventure tells the timeless tale of their courage, ingenuity, and triumph in the face of adversity.

Covers encoding and binary digits, entropy, language and meaning, efficient encoding and the noisy channel, and explores ways in which information theory relates to physics, cybernetics, psychology, and art. "Uncommonly good...the most satisfying discussion to be found." — Scientific American. 1980 edition.