Everything that surrounds us is a kind of information that we perceive with various senses. We see colors, smell, hear conversations and other sounds - it's all information.
Now we will talk about data from the point of view of the subject of computer science. What actions with information can we perform and do it daily without realizing this fact? Consider the very basic concept, the classification of data. Before moving on to the question of what actions we can perform with information, we offer you a short introduction, namely the basics of computer science.
Information
Actions with information are numerous: receiving, processing, storing, transferring. Surely everyone knows this, but what is information? Not everyone has thought about this question.
It is important to remember that any information is necessarily associated with any data. It can be either dependent or not, interconnected with other data or information, it can have cost characteristics, and so on. This is a small list of properties.
Absolutely all information is divided into:
- Bulk.
- Special.
- Personal.
The first category includes the media, we use them every day: we watch TV, read newspapers and magazines, and in our century, all basic information is drawn from the World Wide Web called the Internet. Special information includes scientific, technical, managerial data, which are not available to everyone. It’s not worth talking about personal information, it’s already clear to everyone that this is undisclosed data that one person manages. Before we consider actions with information, we suggest getting acquainted with its classification. Various sources offer many variations, comparing several possible, we will give the option described in the next paragraph.
Classification
For starters, it is important to know that all information is divided into two large groups, divided by the form of presentation: discrete and analog. If we take examples, then the first group includes the number of crimes, that is, the information changes, and the second - the speed of the car on a certain distance.
Also, information can be divided, taking into account the area of occurrence: elementary, biological, social. The first group includes the actions of inanimate objects, the second - the processes of the living world, and the third reflects the processes of man and society as a whole.
Already in the last paragraph, we gave one of the classification options that displays the purpose. We divided the information into: mass, special and personal.
Before selecting actions withinformation, we will analyze the classification that is most often found in computer science and ICT courses, that is, the division according to the coding method:
- Symbol.
- Text.
- Graphic.
Actions
We are constantly working with data and information without even noticing it. Even if you take a regular school lesson or lecture. We are given information, we perceive it, of course, if we want it, we process it, save it, we can share it, that is, transfer it, and so on. Now let's consider what actions with information are possible:
- Receive.
- Processing.
- Storage.
- Transmission.
We propose to consider each operation separately, for a closer and meaningful acquaintance.
Getting information
In the last paragraph, we identified the main operations, it is important to note the fact that the sequence of actions with information was not chosen by chance. This is the correct sequence for working with information.
First on our list is the receiving operation. The information is different and it comes to us in various ways, namely, the following methods are distinguished:
- Empirical.
- Theoretical.
- Mixed.
The first method is based on obtaining any empirical data that can be obtained with the help of some actions: observation, comparison, measurement, experiment, survey, testing, interview, etc.next.
The second group includes methods for constructing theories, and the third group combines both the first and second methods.
Processing
First, information is received, then processing is required. This process takes place in several stages. Let's take an example of an enterprise. The whole process starts with data collection. Any firm in the course of its activities accompanies each action with a data record. For data processing, a classification operation is used, as you know, all information is codes consisting of one or more characters. If we consider payroll, then the record will consist of (approximately) a personnel number, department code, position code, and so on. Based on this information, the employee's salary is calculated.
Storage
Processing and storing information are very important processes, one of which we have already analyzed. Let's move on to the next step. Why do we store information? This is due to the fact that almost all data is needed repeatedly. Any stored information is a “trace”, and it doesn’t matter what kind of medium we are talking about, they can be stones, wood, paper, film, disk, and so on, you can’t list them all. If you look at a sheet, a stone with carved letters, then everything is simple here - we see the information with the naked eye. But as for discs, films, flash drives, this is a little more difficult, you need special devices to read information. But this is a plus, that is, writing or reading can befully automated process.
Transmission
This is a process during which information moves in space, it includes several components: source, recipient, carrier, data transmission medium. Let's look at an elementary example. You burned the movie to a disc and took it to your friend. This is the transfer of information, where the source is your computer, the media is a disk, the recipient is a friend. This process also occurs when transferring data via the Internet, only you do not need to go anywhere.
