Course Identification

Information Theory for Natural Scientists
20261152

Lecturers and Teaching Assistants

Prof. Gregory Falkovich
N/A

Course Schedule and Location

2026
Second Semester
Monday, 09:15 - 11:00, Weissman, Seminar Rm A

Tutorials
Tuesday, 15:15 - 16:00, Weissman, Seminar Rm A
16/03/2026
22/06/2026

Field of Study, Course Type and Credit Points

Physical Sciences: Lecture; 3.00 points
Chemical Sciences: Lecture; 3.00 points
Life Sciences (Computational and Systems Biology Track): Lecture; Elective; 3.00 points

Comments

This course will be held in person only

Prerequisites

Elementary statistics.

Restrictions

60

Language of Instruction

English

Attendance and participation

Obligatory

Grade Type

Numerical (out of 100)

Grade Breakdown (in %)

50%
50%

Evaluation Type

Take-home exam

Scheduled date 1

N/A
N/A
-
N/A

Estimated Weekly Independent Workload (in hours)

4

Syllabus

Syllabus

Brief reminder: Thermodynamics on one foot. Statistical physics on the other foot.

Introduction to Information theory.

Mutual information, measurements as communications, data compression.

Applications to biology and brain research.

Two modes of AI: image creation and text writing.

Stock market and phenotype switching.

Inevitability of irreversibility. 

Renormalization group – the right way to forget information.

Quantum information and fundamental limits of uncertainty.

Learning Outcomes

Familiarity with the main tools of modern information theory as applied in physics, chemistry, biology and engineering.

Reading List

This course is based on the just published textbook 

The Physical Nature of Information,

see the Weizmann Library catalog

https://www-degruyterbrill-com.ezproxy.weizmann.ac.il/document/doi/10.1515/9780691266541/html

Website

N/A