Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Note to the Reader
- Interdependence of Chapters
- Introduction
- 1 Fundamental Functional Equations
- 2 Shannon Entropy
- 3 Relative Entropy
- 4 Deformations of Shannon Entropy
- 5 Means
- 6 Species Similarity and Magnitude
- 7 Value
- 8 Mutual Information and Metacommunities
- 9 Probabilistic Methods
- 10 Information Loss
- 11 Entropy Modulo a Prime
- 12 The Categorical Origins of Entropy
- Appendix A The Categorical Origins of Entropy
- Appendix B Summary of Conditions
- References
- Index of Notation
- Index
2 - Shannon Entropy
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 April 2021
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Note to the Reader
- Interdependence of Chapters
- Introduction
- 1 Fundamental Functional Equations
- 2 Shannon Entropy
- 3 Relative Entropy
- 4 Deformations of Shannon Entropy
- 5 Means
- 6 Species Similarity and Magnitude
- 7 Value
- 8 Mutual Information and Metacommunities
- 9 Probabilistic Methods
- 10 Information Loss
- 11 Entropy Modulo a Prime
- 12 The Categorical Origins of Entropy
- Appendix A The Categorical Origins of Entropy
- Appendix B Summary of Conditions
- References
- Index of Notation
- Index
Summary
We introduce finite probability distributions and their use as a model of an ecological community. We define Shannon entropy, give examples, and establish its basic properties. We interpret Shannon entropy in terms of both coding and diversity, and prove that it is uniquely characterized by the chain rule.
Keywords
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- Entropy and DiversityThe Axiomatic Approach, pp. 32 - 61Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021