AI engineering glossary · Classical ML algorithms
What is RBF kernel?
RBF kernel (also called Gaussian kernel): The radial basis function kernel, K(x, z) = exp(-gamma * ||x - z||^2), giving similarity that decays with distance. A larger gamma means each point influences only its close neighbours, producing wiggly boundaries; a small gamma gives smoother ones.
RBF kernel: an example
SVC(kernel='rbf', gamma=0.1) draws a smooth curved boundary around clusters of customers.
Related terms
More Classical ML algorithms terms
- Regression tree
- Residual
- Ridge regression
- Scree plot
- Shrinkage
- Sigmoid function
- Silhouette score
- Simple linear regression
Where you learn it
RBF kernel is part of the AI Engineering Program, which teaches it with notes, a hands-on lab and an exam. The first lesson is free.