preview

The Effects of Noise on a Communication System

Better Essays

Communication is the process of sharing ideas, information and messages with others in a particular time and place. It includes writing and talking, as well as nonverbal communication (such as facial expressions, body language, or gestures), visual communication (the use of images or pictures, such as paintings, photography, video, or film), and electronic communication (telephone calls, electronic mail, digital television, or satellite broadcasts). Communication is a vital part of personal life and is also important in business, education, and any other situation where people encounter each other.

Noise, in physics, is an acoustic, electrical, or electronic signal consisting of a random mixture of wavelengths. It is also a subjective …show more content…

The effectiveness problems concentrate on how well the meaning is conveyed and whether it has the desired effect or response. The effectiveness problem is closely interrelated with the semantic problem, and the similarities can be seen in each definition in so much as there is a slight overlap of the problem categories.

It was their belief that if the technical problems were resolved, then the semantic problem and the effectiveness would be improved also. This has proven not to be the case for the aforementioned factor of noise. To improve the system technically will reduce flaws, but no system can be one hundred percent effective and efficient. There will always be a disturbance, a flaw, or an inequality. In this model the inefficiency is noise.
As mentioned above, this concept of noise has to make allowances for the inefficiency in which messages are passed and therefore may become distorted. This highlights the issue in terms of incidental interference with the sender's intentions rather than in terms of a central and purposive process of interpretation. The concept reflects Shannon and Weaver's concern with accuracy and efficiency.

To expand somewhat on the concept of noise concerning this linear model, more explanation is required to justify the meaning which Shannon and Weaver were intending. In this example, noise is not necessarily audible, but can mean a number of different things. For example, the distortion of a television picture is classed as a

Get Access