AI engineering glossary · Statistics inference
What is log-likelihood?
Log-likelihood: The natural logarithm of the likelihood function. It turns products over independent observations into sums, which are easier to differentiate and numerically stable, and it has its maximum at the same parameter values.
Log-likelihood: an example
For 7 heads in 10 flips, log-likelihood = 7 ln(p) + 3 ln(1 - p), which peaks at p = 0.7.
Related terms
More Statistics inference terms
- Mann-Whitney U test
- Margin of error
- Maximum a posteriori estimation
- Minimum detectable effect
- Multiple comparisons problem
- Non-parametric test
- Novelty effect
- Null hypothesis
Where you learn it
Log-likelihood is part of the AI Engineering Program, which teaches it with notes, a hands-on lab and an exam. The first lesson is free.