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Showing 391–420 of 1709 reference entries

Mathematics & logicLaw of total variance

For square-integrable X, Var(X)=E[Var(X|Y)]+Var(E[X|Y]).

Mathematical statement
Mathematics & logicMoment generating functions

M_X(t)=E[eᵗˣ] is an MGF when it is finite on an open interval about zero.

Method
Mathematics & logicGamma and exponential distributions

In the shape–rate convention Gamma(α,β) has density βᵅxᵅ⁻¹e⁻ᵝˣ/Γ(α) for x>0, α,β>0.

Definition
Mathematics & logicEstimator bias and mean squared error

For estimator T of θ, bias is EθT−θ and MSE is Eθ[(T−θ)²]=Varθ(T)+bias².

Definition
Mathematics & logicConsistency and asymptotic normality

An estimator sequence Tₙ is consistent for θ when Pθ(|Tₙ−θ|>ε)→0 for every ε>0.

Definition
Mathematics & logicFisher information and Cramer–Rao bound

For a differentiable scalar iid model with score sθ=∂θlog fθ(X), Fisher information is I(θ)=Eθ[sθ²].

Mathematical statement
Mathematics & logicLinear regression coefficients and covariance

For fixed full-column-rank X and Y=Xβ+ε with Eε=0 and Cov ε=σ²I, least squares gives β̂=(XᵀX)⁻¹XᵀY, Eβ̂=β and Cov β̂=σ²(XᵀX)⁻¹.

Model
Mathematics & logicLogistic regression for binary responses

With independent Bernoulli Yᵢ, logistic regression assumes log[pᵢ/(1−pᵢ)]=xᵢᵀβ.

Model
InformationDeterministic finite automata

A DFA consists of finite states Q, finite alphabet Σ, total transition δ:Q×Σ→Q, start q₀ and accepting states F.

Definition
InformationRegular expressions and NFA equivalence

Regular expressions built from letters, the empty word and empty language using union, concatenation and star describe exactly the DFA/NFA-recognizable languages.

Mathematical statement
InformationContext-free grammars

A context-free grammar has finite variables, terminal alphabet, rules A→w with one variable on the left, and a start variable.

Definition
InformationPushdown automata and context-free languages

A nondeterministic pushdown automaton augments finite control with one unbounded last-in-first-out stack.

Mathematical statement
InformationRecognizability versus decidability

A recognizer accepts every member of its language but may run forever on a nonmember.

Definition
InformationRice's theorem for language properties

Every nontrivial property of the language recognized by a Turing machine is undecidable from its machine description.

Mathematical statement
InformationConditional entropy and entropy chain rule

For finite X,Y, H(X|Y)=Σy p(y)H(X|Y=y) and H(X,Y)=H(Y)+H(X|Y).

Mathematical statement
InformationRelative entropy

For finite distributions p,q, D(p‖q)=Σx p(x)log₂[p(x)/q(x)]≥0, with equality exactly when p=q.

Definition
InformationData-processing inequality

If finite X→Y→Z form a Markov chain, meaning Z is conditionally independent of X given Y, then I(X;Z)≤I(X;Y).

Mathematical statement
InformationPrefix codes and Kraft–McMillan inequality

A binary prefix code has no whole codeword as another's initial segment, permitting immediate sequential decoding.

Mathematical statement
InformationHuffman code construction

Repeatedly merge the two least-probable source symbols or accumulated nodes, then label the two branches 0 and 1; root-to-leaf labels are codewords.

Method
InformationAsymptotic equipartition for iid symbols

For iid finite-alphabet X₁,…,Xₙ, −n⁻¹log₂p(X₁,…,Xₙ) converges in probability to H(X₁).

Mathematical statement
InformationEntropy rate of a stationary source

The entropy rate is limₙ H(X₁,…,Xₙ)/n when the limit exists.

Definition
InformationDifferential entropy and scale

For a real density f with defined integral, h(X)=−∫f(x)log₂f(x)dx.

Definition
InformationPower-constrained Gaussian channel capacity

For Y=X+Z with iid real Gaussian noise Z∼N(0,N), N>0, independent of input, and average input power E[X²]≤P, capacity is C=(1/2)log₂(1+P/N) bits per channel use.

Mathematical statement
Mathematics & logicBisection with an error certificate

For continuous real f with f(a)f(b)<0, test the midpoint and retain a half interval with opposite endpoint signs, unless the midpoint is a root.

Method
Mathematics & logicLagrange polynomial construction and error

At distinct nodes t₀,…,tₙ, p(x)=Σyₖℓₖ(x), ℓₖ(x)=∏_(i≠k)(x−tᵢ)/(tₖ−tᵢ), is the unique interpolant of degree at most n.

Method
Mathematics & logicStationary points and the Hessian test

A differentiable function has zero gradient at an interior local extremum.

Method
Mathematics & logicEquality-constrained Lagrange multipliers

For C¹ real f,g, a local constrained extremum of f on g(x)=c at a point where ∇g≠0 must satisfy ∇f=λ∇g together with g=c.

Method
Mathematics & logicConvexity and global gradient bounds

A differentiable function on an open convex domain is convex exactly when f(y)≥f(x)+∇f(x)·(y−x) for all domain points.

Mathematical statement
Mathematics & logicConvex KKT optimality certificate

For differentiable convex f₀,fᵢ on Rⁿ and affine equalities Ax=b, feasible x is optimal if λ≥0, λᵢfᵢ(x)=0 and ∇f₀(x)+Σλᵢ∇fᵢ(x)+Aᵀν=0.

Method
Mathematics & logicFourier transform and inversion on Schwartz functions

For a smooth rapidly decreasing f whose derivatives also decrease faster than any power, define f̂(ξ)=∫Rⁿe⁻ⁱˣ·ξf(x)dx.

Mathematical statement
Mathematical statementSource checked

Prefix codes and Kraft–McMillan inequality

Information

A binary prefix code has no whole codeword as another's initial segment, permitting immediate sequential decoding.

Key knowledge

A binary prefix code has no whole codeword as another's initial segment, permitting immediate sequential decoding. Uniquely decodable code lengths satisfy Σ2⁻ˡⁱ≤1; conversely positive integer lengths satisfying the inequality admit a prefix code. Expected length is at least source entropy.

Conditions and scope

  • Finite alphabet and one nonempty binary codeword per symbol, so each length is a positive integer. The empty-word singleton is excluded: it cannot encode an unknown number of repetitions uniquely.
  • Injectivity of individual words alone does not guarantee unambiguous concatenation.
Sources · 1

References

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  1. EE276 (2024), Lecture 5: Kraft–McMillan inequality and Huffman codingTsachy Weissman / Stanford UniversityCourse notes · PDFweb.stanford.eduRead source

Evidence and review

Lecture 5 Kraft–McMillan theorem, converse and expected-length lower bound, using positive lengths in the concatenation-counting proof.

2026-10-10 · Independent AI editorial review: All241 compact claims, hypotheses, displayed equations/conventions and all596 origin semantic links read; entire241-entry author exact-source inspection matrix and declared limitations reviewed. Prior105 actual inherited Mathematics/Information records read for whole-inventory breadth. Targeted independent primary sections are listed below; this does NOT claim every cited source body or every proof was independently re-read. This is AI reference-content review, not human disciplinary certification, exhaustive textbook reproduction or experimental replication. Receipt: mathematics-information-independent-content-review.1.

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Structured reference record
University core expansion