Uncover the fascinating truths behind how much information is in languages, computers, and even our bodies!

This YouTube video by Derek Muller of Veritasium explores the concept of "How Much Information" is contained in our everyday language. Muller looks at how much information is contained per syllable in Spanish, how many letters can be read at once in Chinese and English, how much information is contained in a single binary digit (1 bit), how many bits of information is necessary to encode the entire English alphabet, and even how much information is contained in our genetic code. He then compares the amount of information per minute in Spanish and English, the reading rate of Chinese and English, the amount of information in our DNA, and the amount of data contained in a single video file. By the end of the video, Muller reveals that what limits the speed of our communication is not language but our cognitive ability to process information.

Learning Outline

1. Spanish syllables contain less information than English syllables.
2. English readers can perceive seven to eight letters at once, compared to just 2.6 characters for Chinese.
3. The smallest amount of information is the answer to a yes/no question.
4. One binary digit is one bit of information.
5. A roll of the dice requires three bits of information.
6. To uniquely represent all 26 letters of the English alphabet requires five bits of information.
7. To encode all 95 symbols requires seven bits of information.
8. Four molecules can be encoded by two bits of information.
9. The entire genetic code is represented by six billion letters of genetic code and is 1.5 GB of information.
10. Video can contain a lot of information.
11. Video has a lot of parts that are redundant.
12. Information is embodied in actual objects.
13. Information doesn't disappear even after it has moved through the air.
14. Audible.com/Veritasium can provide a one month free trial for books.

Instructional Content

Have you ever noticed that Spanish speakers seem to communicate faster than English speakers? While it may sound like Spanish is spoken faster than English, linguistic analysis has shown that the amount of information per minute is actually almost identical. But what about written language? Chinese characters appear to fit better into our central visual field than the English language. However, experiments show that English readers can perceive more letters at once compared to Chinese readers, but Chinese characters are denser in meaning than English letters, and so both languages have the same reading rate of 380 words equivalent per minute.

So how can you quantify information? The smallest amount of information you can have is the answer to a yes/no question, which can be represented with a one or a zero, also known as a binary digit. To represent the 26 letters of the English alphabet requires five bits of information, and to represent all symbols (including lower case, punctuation, special characters, and numbers) requires seven bits of information.

Your entire genetic code is contained in a sequence of four molecules, which can be encoded by two bits of information. Multiplying this by the six billion letters of your genome and dividing by 8 bits per byte, yields 1.5 GB of information. This means that all of your genetic code could fit on a single DVD with room to spare.

Video can contain a lot of information. To specify the colour of each of two million pixels 30 times a second for a video would require 100 gigabytes of information. However, you can watch the video in HD with just a thousandth of that amount, thanks to the redundancy of video.

You share 99.9% of your genetic information with everyone else on Earth, meaning that only one part in a thousand is unique. This means that the information that makes you you could be stored in less than a megabyte. On the other hand, the digital information in the world is estimated to be equal to 40 zettabytes of information in 2020.

This video has shown us that there is a lot more to information than meets the eye. Language, genetics, and video are all forms of information that can be processed and stored in different ways. However, no matter what form information takes, it is always a physical thing that can be measured and detected.

Cognition

Unlock Cognitive Potential

Analytical Literacy, Information Literacy, and Cognitive Flexibility are all essential skills that learners must develop in order to be successful. The video, “How Much Information?”, highlights the importance of these skills and provides an insight into the complexity of language and the ability to process information.

Analytical Literacy refers to the ability to critically engage with data, understand and evaluate it, and draw meaningful conclusions that can be used effectively. This requires the ability to read and comprehend data, recognize patterns, understand the implications of data, and analyze and interpret results.

Information Literacy is the ability to effectively locate and evaluate information from various sources. It involves being able to identify relevant sources, assess their credibility and accuracy, and use them in an appropriate way. This requires the ability to effectively search for and effectively use information from a variety of sources.

Cognitive Flexibility is the ability to think flexibly and adjust to changing contexts and situations. This requires the ability to think creatively, adjust to different perspectives, and adapt to an ever-changing landscape.

Finally, it is important to provide learners with the opportunity to reflect and evaluate their own understanding and progress. This can be done through reflection activities, such as writing journals or engaging in conversation with peers and mentors. By doing this, learners can gain insight into their own strengths and weaknesses, and develop a deeper understanding of the skills needed to improve their cognition.

Analytical Literacy

Can We Analyze Data?

Analytical literacy is an important skill to possess when it comes to personal growth and professional development. The video ‘How Much Information?’ demonstrates how we can quantify information and how this information is used in our everyday lives. The video illustrates how Spanish is spoken faster than English but contains less information per minute, and how Chinese characters appear to fit better into our central visual field but English readers can perceive more letters at once. It also explains how the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) uses eight bits to encode all characters. Finally, the video explains how the genetic code of an individual is contained in the sequence of four molecules, and how it takes only 1.5 GB of information to store a person’s entire genetic code, which is less than the amount found inside the human body. This video is an important tool for upskilling oneself in analytical literacy and understanding the power of information, as it provides examples and case studies to illustrate the points it makes. By understanding the power of information, individuals can use it to their advantage to become more successful in personal growth and professional development.

Information Literacy

Can You Handle Data?

The video and transcript of How Much Information? provides a fascinating insight into the power of information and how it shapes our lives. In today's digital age, being able to understand and use information effectively is essential for personal growth and professional development. For example, the video discusses how Spanish speakers can communicate information faster than English speakers because more syllables are spoken per minute. However, analysis has shown that each Spanish syllable contains less information than each English syllable, so the information per minute is almost identical. This highlights the importance of understanding the different ways in which information is stored and processed.

Being upskilled in information literacy can also help us to be more successful in our personal and professional lives. The video outlines how the square format of Chinese characters appears to fit better into our central visual field than the longer, slimmer words of English, but experiments show that English readers can perceive seven to eight letters at once, compared to just 2.6 characters for Chinese. Being aware of the different ways in which information can be processed can help us to communicate more effectively and make better decisions.

Finally, the video discusses how much information it takes to make us - our entire genetic code is contained in the sequence of four molecules, represented by the letters T, A, G, and C in our DNA. Each of these four options can be encoded by two bits of information. Multiplying by the six billion letters of genetic code in our genome, we get 1.5 GB of information, which could fit on a single DVD. This highlights the power of information and its potential for personal growth and professional development. By upskilling ourselves in information literacy, we can be more effective in our communication and decision-making, and therefore more successful in our personal and professional lives.

Cognitive Flexibility

Can Data Enhance Thinking?

Upskilling to become more successful in personal growth and professional development requires cognitive flexibility. This video demonstrates a key example of cognitive flexibility – understanding how much information is contained in various forms of communication. This can be a valuable insight for upskilling, as it can help us better understand how different forms of communication contain different amounts of information.

For example, the video explains how Spanish syllables contain less information than English syllables, but that Spanish speakers are able to communicate more syllables per minute than English speakers. This means that the information per minute is almost identical. Additionally, the square format of Chinese characters allows them to be perceived faster than English, yet the Chinese characters are denser in meaning than the English letters, resulting in both languages having basically the same reading rate.

This concept can be applied to upskilling to become more successful in personal growth and professional development. By understanding how much information is contained in different forms of communication, we can better assess which methods are best for conveying our desired message. For example, if we are trying to quickly explain a complex concept, it might be more effective to use video than written language, as video can contain a lot of information and can be sent in a small file size.

Upskilling in cognitive flexibility can help us become more successful in personal growth and professional development, by enabling us to better understand how much information is contained in various forms of communication. Understanding this concept can help us better assess which forms of communication are best for conveying our desired message.

For Learners

Watching this video is a great way to learn about the fundamentals of information and communication, which are essential to understanding the world around us. Through the video, we learn about how language affects the speed of communication, how written language is read, and how information is quantified. Additionally, the video covers how much information it takes to make a person, and how much information is contained in a video file. By understanding these concepts, we can gain a better appreciation for the amount of information we encounter and process on a daily basis.

Using the ‘what’s in it for me’, ‘what’s in it for them’, ‘what’s in it for us’, and ‘what’s in it for the world’ approach to learning the content of this video will benefit you as a learner for personal growth and professional development. Learning the content of this video will help you gain a deeper understanding of the world around you, as well as make informed decisions in the future. It can also help you better communicate with others, as you will understand how language and written language can affect communication speed. Additionally, learning the content of this video can help you understand how information is quantified, which can help you make more informed decisions about the data you encounter in your everyday life. Finally, learning the content of this video can help you gain a better appreciation for the amount of information contained in a video file, which can lead to better decisions about how to use video to share information.

For Employers

The video, “How Much Information?”, contains valuable information that employers should watch to better understand the complexities of modern communication and the benefits of using it. By learning the content of this video, employers can differentiate themselves from their computer by understanding how to communicate effectively in both digital and physical mediums. Employers will also gain an understanding of how their customers and clients perceive their products and services more successfully if they are aware of the concepts presented in this video.

From the perspective of the present, employers can use the information in this video to more effectively communicate with their team and customers. This will give them the advantage of being able to easily explain the meaning behind their products, services, and messages. In the long-term, employers will gain a better understanding of how to use language and technology to their advantage in order to optimize their communication strategies.

In the future, employers will benefit from knowing how to effectively use language to communicate information in a way that is both efficient and accurate. They will also be able to use data to better understand the needs of their customers, as well as how to best target their messages and products.

Overall, employers will gain a better understanding of communication and technology by watching the “How Much Information?” video, and this will help them to better serve their customers and create a successful business. By learning the information presented in this video, employers will be able to differentiate themselves from their computer and will be able to use the power of language and technology to their advantage.

Career Path

Completing a course in Cognition based on the competencies of Analytical Literacy, Information Literacy and Cognitive Flexibility can be crucial to unlocking a successful career path. These competencies help individuals to understand and process information faster, more accurately and robustly.

The world is changing faster than ever before and those with the skills to keep up are the ones that will find success. By taking this course and leveling up their Analytical Literacy, Information Literacy and Cognitive Flexibility, people will be able to gain the skills they need to stay ahead of the competition.

With the skills and knowledge acquired in the course, people will be able to differentiate themselves from the competition and become highly sought-after in high-growth industries. By learning how to better quantify information, interpret data and think outside the box, life long learners can become more employable, promotable and purposeful.

Now is the time to take action and level up your analytical literacy, information literacy and cognitive flexibility. By taking this course and gaining career-defining credentials, people can open up their future and find meaningful work in the rapidly changing world.

Meaning

"What limits the speed of our communication is not language but our cognitive ability to process information," said French philosopher Blaise Pascal. This philosophy is demonstrated in the video "How Much Information?" which explores how the speed of communication is limited by our cognitive abilities, not language. All languages, whether spoken or written, have their own benefits and limits. The video explains that, for example, Spanish syllables contain less information than English syllables, however Spanish is spoken faster. Similarly, Chinese characters are read slower than English letters, but they contain more information.

This is an important concept for learners and employers alike. By understanding the limits of our cognitive abilities and the benefits of various languages, we can maximize our communication abilities and facilitate understanding. As the video demonstrates, by utilizing the best of both languages, we can effectively and efficiently share information.

Takeaway

The most important key takeaway is that information is a physical thing, embodied in actual objects. It doesn't disappear, but instead interacts with the environment and can be traced back and extrapolated to reveal what has been said or done.