Effective Representation of Information: Generalizing Free Rides

In order to effectively communicate information, the choice of representation is important. Ideally, a representation will aid readers in making desired inferences. In this poster, we introduce the theory of observation: what it means for one statement to be observable from another. Using observability, we sketch a characterization of the observational advantages of one representation over another. By considering observational advantages, people will be able to make better informed choices of representations. To demonstrate the benefit of observation and observational advantages, we apply these concepts to set theory and Euler diagrams. We show that Euler diagrams have significant observational advantages over set theory. This formally justifies Larkin and Simon’s claim that “a diagram is (sometimes) worth ten thousand words”.