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The Entropy of LEGO®

Author

Listed:
  • Andrew Crompton

    (School of Architecture, University of Liverpool, Leverhulme Building, Abercromby Square, Liverpool L69 3BX, England)

Abstract

Can the information content of a building be given meaning? Provided it can be modeled as a set of repeating parts the entropy of those parts can be measured. One way to do this is to make a LEGO® model then base the calculation on how many pieces of each type have been used. It is claimed that Lego is a language-like method of representing the built environment and that Lego pieces are analogous to words because their rank–frequency distribution follows a Zipf–Mandelbrot distribution similar to words in English. The zero-order entropy of Lego was measured to be about 8.5 bits, compared with 9.4 bits per word of English. Lego models of famous buildings were found to have entropy of between 6 and 10 bits per piece, giving a quantitative measure of how unusual their pieces were.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew Crompton, 2012. "The Entropy of LEGO®," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 39(1), pages 174-182, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirb:v:39:y:2012:i:1:p:174-182
    DOI: 10.1068/b37063
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