Signal-to-noise ratio in Renaissance writing: an example concerning Georgius Agricola (1494-1555).

Abstract

The modem term 'Signal to Noise Ratio' -a measure in science for comparing the level of a desired signal with that of its background noise -is used here with reference to the views of Adam Siber expressed in an elegy comparing the scientific and literary output of mediocre writers with that of Georgius Agricola (1494 -1555). Written in Latin, much of Agricola's important work still remains untranslated into English, but his numerous works formed the basis of the understanding of many geological and mineralogical principles. The authors, in the process of translating one of his works -De ortu <& causis suhterraneorum -found the prefatory elegy which is also written in Latin. This paper outlines salient aspects of Agricola's life, including the social, 'scientific' and technological milieu in which he worked, and the influence on him of writers, both contemporary and ancient. This serves as background to our translation of Siber's elegy, wherein Agricola's communication skills are compared most favourably with those of lesser communicators.