The mathematical theory that made the internet possible

The following is an extract from our Lost in Space-Time newsletter. Each month, we hand over the keyboard to a physicist or mathematician to tell you about fascinating ideas from their corner of the universe. You can sign up for Lost in Space-Time here.

Beginning in the mid-20^th century, the digital revolution ushered in the information age, radically changing the way information is processed and transmitted. Audio and video, which traditionally had been analogue, became digital. Phones gained more computational power than the room-filling machines…