EngineeringToolkit

Shannon Entropy Formula

A measure of the average information content or uncertainty inherent to a random variable's possible values.

Formula

H(X) = -Σ p(x) · log₂(p(x))

Discipline: Computer Science. Result unit: bits.

Variables and units

  • H(X) — Entropy (bits): Entropy of random variable X
  • p(x) — Probability: Probability of event x