Shannon Capacity

Channel Parameters

Bandwidth B (MHz) 20 SNR (dB) 20

Capacity Result

C = B log₂(1+SNR)—

Spectral Eff.—

Min Eb/N0—

Real Systems (markers)

Plotted on all charts for reference

Shannon-Hartley Theorem
C = B log₂(1 + SNR)

Shannon Limit:
Min Eb/N0 for reliable comms:
Eb/N0 ≥ (2^C/B - 1) / (C/B)

At C/B → 0:
Eb/N0 ≥ ln(2) = -1.59 dB

Key insight: You can always trade bandwidth for SNR and vice versa — Shannon doesn't care about the split.