Claude Shannon
Claude Shannon was a mathematician and electrical engineer whose research established information theory. After studying at Michigan and MIT, he showed how Boolean algebra could describe switching circuits. At Bell Labs, he worked on cryptography and published A Mathematical Theory of Communication in 1948. The paper defined tools for measuring information and the capacity of noisy communication channels. Shannon also examined computer chess and co-wrote the Dartmouth proposal that helped organize early AI research. He later taught at MIT and built experimental machines, including a mechanical mouse that could navigate a maze. He died in 2001. His work connects modern digital infrastructure with early attempts to make machines solve problems.
- Works
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Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 14 October 2026. Citations and h-index are hidden because this OpenAlex record may be incomplete or mix in other authors.
Timeline
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1937–1938
Linking switches with logic
Used Boolean algebra to describe relay and switching circuits in his master’s thesis.
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1948
Defining information and channel capacity
Published A Mathematical Theory of Communication, defining information and channel capacity.
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1950
Studying computer chess
Examined search and position evaluation as methods for computer chess.
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1956–1978
Returning to MIT
Taught at MIT from 1956 and became emeritus in 1978, while continuing information theory and invention.
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2001 onward
A legacy in digital systems
Died on 24 February 2001; his theory remains a foundation for reliable digital communication.
Sources and credits
Photo: Jacobs, Konrad, via Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: commons.wikimedia.org. Cropped to a square and resized. Ask us to remove or replace this photo.
