information
    n 1: a message received and understood [syn: information,
         info]
    2: knowledge acquired through study or experience or instruction
    3: formal accusation of a crime
    4: a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn;
       "statistical data" [syn: data, information]
    5: (communication theory) a numerical measure of the uncertainty
       of an outcome; "the signal contained thousands of bits of
       information" [syn: information, selective information,
       entropy]

Information \In`for*ma"tion\, n. [F., fr. L. informatio
   representation, conception. See Inform, v. t.]
   1. The act of informing, or communicating knowledge or
      intelligence.
      [1913 Webster]

            The active informations of the intellect. --South.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Any fact or set of facts, knowledge, news, or advice,
      whether communicated by others or obtained by personal
      study and investigation; any datum that reduces
      uncertainty about the state of any part of the world;
      intelligence; knowledge derived from reading, observation,
      or instruction.
      [1913 Webster +PJC]

            Larger opportunities of information.  --Rogers.
      [1913 Webster]

            He should get some information in the subject he
            intends to handle.                    --Swift.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. (Law) A proceeding in the nature of a prosecution for some
      offense against the government, instituted and prosecuted,
      really or nominally, by some authorized public officer on
      behalf of the government. It differs from an indictment in
      criminal cases chiefly in not being based on the finding
      of a grand jury. See Indictment.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. (Information Theory) A measure of the number of possible
      choices of messages contained in a symbol, signal,
      transmitted message, or other information-bearing object;
      it is usually quantified as the negative logarithm of the
      number of allowed symbols that could be contained in the
      message; for logarithms to the base 2, the measure
      corresponds to the unit of information, the hartley, which
      is log210, or 3.323 bits; called also information
      content. The smallest unit of information that can be
      contained or transmitted is the bit, corresponding to a
      yes-or-no decision.
      [PJC]

   5. (Computers) Useful facts, as contrasted with raw data; as,
      among all this data, there must be some interesting
      information.
      [PJC]

information

    The result of applying data processing to data,
   giving it context and meaning.  Information can then be
   further processed to yeild knowledge.

   People or computers can find patterns in data to perceive
   information, and information can be used to enhance
   knowledge.  Since knowledge is prerequisite to wisdom, we
   always want more data and information.  But, as modern
   societies verge on information overload, we especially need
   better ways to find patterns.

   1234567.89 is data.

   "Your bank balance has jumped 8087% to $1234567.89" is
   information.

   "Nobody owes me that much money" is knowledge.

   "I'd better talk to the bank before I spend it, because of
   what has happened to other people" is wisdom.

   (2007-09-10)