3 ms·
So "surprising" == anything not previously known? That's not the definition I'm used to. I might not know the exact answer to sqrt(10), but I wouldn't be surp
by spaced-out 6y ago
So "surprising" == anything not previously known? That's not the definition I'm used to. I might not know the exact answer to sqrt(10), but I wouldn't be surprised by the answer considering I already know it's between 3 and 4.
- ukj 6y agoIt is Shannon’s definition. Surprise == new information. Lack of surprise == lack of new information.
- js8 6y agoTo add to the other answer, Shannon's information is also sometimes called "surprisal". And it doesn't describe only what is not known, but rather what can be predicted. So if you can predict new information, it has low surprisal, even if it previously wasn't known (with certainty).