Shannon Entropy Calculator
Calculate Shannon entropy in bits from a discrete probability distribution.
Description
Calculate Shannon entropy in bits from a discrete probability distribution.
Shannon Entropy Calculator: Calculate Shannon entropy in bits from a discrete probability distribution.
When to use Shannon Entropy
Use this information-theory calculation when probabilities or predicted class probabilities are valid and you need a precisely defined entropy or probabilistic-loss value.
- Probabilities
- Required list input.
How Shannon Entropy works
Calculate Shannon entropy in bits from a discrete probability distribution. The tool evaluates the supplied inputs together and returns the named outputs below; it does not infer omitted operating conditions or change the units shown.1
- Entropy (bit)
- The resulting entropy returned as a number.
Limitations and assumptions
- Entropy base, averaging, class labels, clipping near zero, weighting, calibration, sample independence, and reduction convention affect the result. Low training loss does not establish generalization or causal validity.
- Use finite inputs in the displayed units and preserve more precision than the final presentation requires. Independently verify safety-critical, financial, compliance, or production decisions.
Alternative or Complementary approaches
State the logarithm base and reduction, inspect calibration and class balance, and evaluate on held-out data with complementary metrics.
References
-
Entropy (information theory) — Wikipedia contributors
Similar or alternative tools
- Binary Entropy Calculator
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- Binary Cross-Entropy Calculator
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- Log-Loss Calculator
Calculate mean binary log-loss across labels and predicted probabilities.