Twenty Guesses: Information Theory
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Computer Science Unplugged
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This activity introduces the idea that computer scientists measure information by how "surprising" a message is. Learners play the game "20 Questions" and use the number of questions asked as a measure of the value of "information" in the answer. While this is not an intuitive idea, an image of a "decision tree" for guessing a number between 0 and 7 illustrates the relationship between the answers to the questions (yes=1 and no=0), and the answer (so if the answer is 3, then three questions whose answers are no, yes, yes yields 011, which is 3 in binary.
- Under 5 minutes
- 30 to 45 minutes
- free
- Ages 8 - 14
- Activity, Game, Lesson/Lesson Plan
- English, French, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish
Quick Guide
Materials List (per student)
- Worksheet Activity: Decision trees (page 40, optional extension)
Subjects
- Engineering and Technology
- Computing
- Computer Science
- Information Systems
- Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Computing
- Mathematics
- Algebra
- Patterns
- Data Analysis and Probability
- Probability
- Number and Operations
- Algebra
Informal Categories
- Computers
- Games
Audience
Learning styles supported:
- Involves hands-on or lab activities
Other
Components that are part of this resource:
Includes alignment to state and/or national standards
This resource is part of:
Access Rights:
- Free access
By:
- Bell, Tim; Witten, Ian; Fellows, Mike; Adams, Robyn; McKenzie, Jane
Rights:
- Creative Commons, Computer Science Unplugged, 2005
Funding Sources:
- Brian Mason Scientific and Technical Trust
- Google Inc.
