Molecular Evolution and Information

Using Information Theory to Establish a Four Sided Coin Code

The four sided coins are always tossed and read 3 at a time. The following table assigns a word to each possible outcome. Since only 20 words are used, some outcomes are assigned to the same word. The period in the parenthesis is not a word, but indicates the end of a sentence. All sentences must start with the word, the, and this is why it is capitalized. The table is like a Spanish to English dictionary. It assigns a message to an outcome.
           
Table 3.1: The Coin Code

   
    Using this table, it is possible to construct many sentences. Consider the following outcomes and the associated messages. These messages are constructed by tossing the special coin 15 times and then grouping the results into triplets. Each triplet is called a codon.

TAC-CCA-TAA-AGA-ATC => The dog is lazy.
TAC-CGA-TAA-GAT-ATC => The cat is big.
TAC-GAA-TAA-CTG-ATC => The animal is tiny.

Many more nonsense messages are possible.

TAC-ATA-GCA-CTA-ATC => The white black tiny.
TAC-ATA-TAA-CTA-ATC => The white is tiny.
                           

    Also notice that the reading frame is very important. Consider the following message:

TAC-CCA-TAA-AGA-ATC => The dog is lazy.

    If the first T is deleted, then the message becomes ACC-CAT-AAA-GAA-TC => sleeps bird under animal. This sentence is nonsense. To get the correct message the letters must be read three at a time, and the reading frame must be correct. Shifting the frame changes how the letters are grouped. Thus, it changes the words, and very simple change like deleting a single letter can have far reaching consequences.

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