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Student's t-distribution.
Inherits From: Distribution
tf.distributions.StudentT(
df, loc, scale, validate_args=False, allow_nan_stats=True, name='StudentT'
)
This distribution has parameters: degree of freedom df
, location loc
,
and scale
.
Mathematical details
The probability density function (pdf) is,
pdf(x; df, mu, sigma) = (1 + y**2 / df)**(-0.5 (df + 1)) / Z
where,
y = (x - mu) / sigma
Z = abs(sigma) sqrt(df pi) Gamma(0.5 df) / Gamma(0.5 (df + 1))
where:
loc = mu
,scale = sigma
, and,Z
is the normalization constant, and,Gamma
is the gamma function.
The StudentT distribution is a member of the location-scale family, i.e., it can be constructed as,
X ~ StudentT(df, loc=0, scale=1)
Y = loc + scale * X
Notice that scale
has semantics more similar to standard deviation than
variance. However it is not actually the std. deviation; the Student's
t-distribution std. dev. is scale sqrt(df / (df - 2))
when df > 2
.
Samples of this distribution are reparameterized (pathwise differentiable). The derivatives are computed using the approach described in the paper
Michael Figurnov, Shakir Mohamed, Andriy Mnih. Implicit Reparameterization Gradients, 2018
Examples
Examples of initialization of one or a batch of distributions.
import tensorflow_probability as tfp
tfd = tfp.distributions
# Define a single scalar Student t distribution.
single_dist = tfd.StudentT(df=3)
# Evaluate the pdf at 1, returning a scalar Tensor.
single_dist.prob(1.)
# Define a batch of two scalar valued Student t's.
# The first has degrees of freedom 2, mean 1, and scale 11.
# The second 3, 2 and 22.
multi_dist = tfd.StudentT(df=[2, 3], loc=[1, 2.], scale=[11, 22.])
# Evaluate the pdf of the first distribution on 0, and the second on 1.5,
# returning a length two tensor.
multi_dist.prob([0, 1.5])
# Get 3 samples, returning a 3 x 2 tensor.
multi_dist.sample(3)
Arguments are broadcast when possible.
# Define a batch of two Student's t distributions.
# Both have df 2 and mean 1, but different scales.
dist = tfd.StudentT(df=2, loc=1, scale=[11, 22.])
# Evaluate the pdf of both distributions on the same point, 3.0,
# returning a length 2 tensor.
dist.prob(3.0)
Compute the gradients of samples w.r.t. the parameters:
df = tf.constant(2.0)
loc = tf.constant(2.0)
scale = tf.constant(11.0)
dist = tfd.StudentT(df=df, loc=loc, scale=scale)
samples = dist.sample(5) # Shape [5]
loss = tf.reduce_mean(tf.square(samples)) # Arbitrary loss function
# Unbiased stochastic gradients of the loss function
grads = tf.gradients(loss, [df, loc, scale])
Args | |
---|---|
df
|
Floating-point Tensor . The degrees of freedom of the
distribution(s). df must contain only positive values.
|
loc
|
Floating-point Tensor . The mean(s) of the distribution(s).
|
scale
|
Floating-point Tensor . The scaling factor(s) for the
distribution(s). Note that scale is not technically the standard
deviation of this distribution but has semantics more similar to
standard deviation than variance.
|
validate_args
|
Python bool , default False . When True distribution
parameters are checked for validity despite possibly degrading runtime
performance. When False invalid inputs may silently render incorrect
outputs.
|
allow_nan_stats
|
Python bool , default True . When True ,
statistics (e.g., mean, mode, variance) use the value "NaN " to
indicate the result is undefined. When False , an exception is raised
if one or more of the statistic's batch members are undefined.
|
name
|
Python str name prefixed to Ops created by this class.
|
Raises | |
---|---|
TypeError
|
if loc and scale are different dtypes. |
Attributes | |
---|---|
allow_nan_stats
|
Python bool describing behavior when a stat is undefined.
Stats return +/- infinity when it makes sense. E.g., the variance of a Cauchy distribution is infinity. However, sometimes the statistic is undefined, e.g., if a distribution's pdf does not achieve a maximum within the support of the distribution, the mode is undefined. If the mean is undefined, then by definition the variance is undefined. E.g. the mean for Student's T for df = 1 is undefined (no clear way to say it is either + or - infinity), so the variance = E[(X - mean)**2] is also undefined. |
batch_shape
|
Shape of a single sample from a single event index as a TensorShape .
May be partially defined or unknown. The batch dimensions are indexes into independent, non-identical parameterizations of this distribution. |
df
|
Degrees of freedom in these Student's t distribution(s). |
dtype
|
The DType of Tensor s handled by this Distribution .
|
event_shape
|
Shape of a single sample from a single batch as a TensorShape .
May be partially defined or unknown. |
loc
|
Locations of these Student's t distribution(s). |
name
|
Name prepended to all ops created by this Distribution .
|
parameters
|
Dictionary of parameters used to instantiate this Distribution .
|
reparameterization_type
|
Describes how samples from the distribution are reparameterized.
Currently this is one of the static instances
|
scale
|
Scaling factors of these Student's t distribution(s). |
validate_args
|
Python bool indicating possibly expensive checks are enabled.
|
Methods
batch_shape_tensor
batch_shape_tensor(
name='batch_shape_tensor'
)
Shape of a single sample from a single event index as a 1-D Tensor
.
The batch dimensions are indexes into independent, non-identical parameterizations of this distribution.
Args | |
---|---|
name
|
name to give to the op |
Returns | |
---|---|
batch_shape
|
Tensor .
|
cdf
cdf(
value, name='cdf'
)
Cumulative distribution function.
Given random variable X
, the cumulative distribution function cdf
is:
cdf(x) := P[X <= x]
Args | |
---|---|
value
|
float or double Tensor .
|
name
|
Python str prepended to names of ops created by this function.
|
Returns | |
---|---|
cdf
|
a Tensor of shape sample_shape(x) + self.batch_shape with
values of type self.dtype .
|
copy
copy(
**override_parameters_kwargs
)
Creates a deep copy of the distribution.
Args | |
---|---|
**override_parameters_kwargs
|
String/value dictionary of initialization arguments to override with new values. |
Returns | |
---|---|
distribution
|
A new instance of type(self) initialized from the union
of self.parameters and override_parameters_kwargs, i.e.,
dict(self.parameters, **override_parameters_kwargs) .
|
covariance
covariance(
name='covariance'
)
Covariance.
Covariance is (possibly) defined only for non-scalar-event distributions.
For example, for a length-k
, vector-valued distribution, it is calculated
as,
Cov[i, j] = Covariance(X_i, X_j) = E[(X_i - E[X_i]) (X_j - E[X_j])]
where Cov
is a (batch of) k x k
matrix, 0 <= (i, j) < k
, and E
denotes expectation.
Alternatively, for non-vector, multivariate distributions (e.g.,
matrix-valued, Wishart), Covariance
shall return a (batch of) matrices
under some vectorization of the events, i.e.,
Cov[i, j] = Covariance(Vec(X)_i, Vec(X)_j) = [as above]
where Cov
is a (batch of) k' x k'
matrices,
0 <= (i, j) < k' = reduce_prod(event_shape)
, and Vec
is some function
mapping indices of this distribution's event dimensions to indices of a
length-k'
vector.
Args | |
---|---|
name
|
Python str prepended to names of ops created by this function.
|
Returns | |
---|---|
covariance
|
Floating-point Tensor with shape [B1, ..., Bn, k', k']
where the first n dimensions are batch coordinates and
k' = reduce_prod(self.event_shape) .
|
cross_entropy
cross_entropy(
other, name='cross_entropy'
)
Computes the (Shannon) cross entropy.
Denote this distribution (self
) by P
and the other
distribution by
Q
. Assuming P, Q
are absolutely continuous with respect to
one another and permit densities p(x) dr(x)
and q(x) dr(x)
, (Shanon)
cross entropy is defined as:
H[P, Q] = E_p[-log q(X)] = -int_F p(x) log q(x) dr(x)
where F
denotes the support of the random variable X ~ P
.
Args | |
---|---|
other
|
tfp.distributions.Distribution instance.
|
name
|
Python str prepended to names of ops created by this function.
|
Returns | |
---|---|
cross_entropy
|
self.dtype Tensor with shape [B1, ..., Bn]
representing n different calculations of (Shanon) cross entropy.
|
entropy
entropy(
name='entropy'
)
Shannon entropy in nats.
event_shape_tensor
event_shape_tensor(
name='event_shape_tensor'
)
Shape of a single sample from a single batch as a 1-D int32 Tensor
.
Args | |
---|---|
name
|
name to give to the op |
Returns | |
---|---|
event_shape
|
Tensor .
|
is_scalar_batch
is_scalar_batch(
name='is_scalar_batch'
)
Indicates that batch_shape == []
.
Args | |
---|---|
name
|
Python str prepended to names of ops created by this function.
|
Returns | |
---|---|
is_scalar_batch
|
bool scalar Tensor .
|
is_scalar_event
is_scalar_event(
name='is_scalar_event'
)
Indicates that event_shape == []
.
Args | |
---|---|
name
|
Python str prepended to names of ops created by this function.
|
Returns | |
---|---|
is_scalar_event
|
bool scalar Tensor .
|
kl_divergence
kl_divergence(
other, name='kl_divergence'
)
Computes the Kullback--Leibler divergence.
Denote this distribution (self
) by p
and the other
distribution by
q
. Assuming p, q
are absolutely continuous with respect to reference
measure r
, the KL divergence is defined as:
KL[p, q] = E_p[log(p(X)/q(X))]
= -int_F p(x) log q(x) dr(x) + int_F p(x) log p(x) dr(x)
= H[p, q] - H[p]
where F
denotes the support of the random variable X ~ p
, H[., .]
denotes (Shanon) cross entropy, and H[.]
denotes (Shanon) entropy.
Args | |
---|---|
other
|
tfp.distributions.Distribution instance.
|
name
|
Python str prepended to names of ops created by this function.
|
Returns | |
---|---|
kl_divergence
|
self.dtype Tensor with shape [B1, ..., Bn]
representing n different calculations of the Kullback-Leibler
divergence.
|
log_cdf
log_cdf(
value, name='log_cdf'
)
Log cumulative distribution function.
Given random variable X
, the cumulative distribution function cdf
is:
log_cdf(x) := Log[ P[X <= x] ]
Often, a numerical approximation can be used for log_cdf(x)
that yields
a more accurate answer than simply taking the logarithm of the cdf
when
x << -1
.
Args | |
---|---|
value
|
float or double Tensor .
|
name
|
Python str prepended to names of ops created by this function.
|
Returns | |
---|---|
logcdf
|
a Tensor of shape sample_shape(x) + self.batch_shape with
values of type self.dtype .
|
log_prob
log_prob(
value, name='log_prob'
)
Log probability density/mass function.
Args | |
---|---|
value
|
float or double Tensor .
|
name
|
Python str prepended to names of ops created by this function.
|
Returns | |
---|---|
log_prob
|
a Tensor of shape sample_shape(x) + self.batch_shape with
values of type self.dtype .
|
log_survival_function
log_survival_function(
value, name='log_survival_function'
)
Log survival function.
Given random variable X
, the survival function is defined:
log_survival_function(x) = Log[ P[X > x] ]
= Log[ 1 - P[X <= x] ]
= Log[ 1 - cdf(x) ]
Typically, different numerical approximations can be used for the log
survival function, which are more accurate than 1 - cdf(x)
when x >> 1
.
Args | |
---|---|
value
|
float or double Tensor .
|
name
|
Python str prepended to names of ops created by this function.
|
Returns | |
---|---|
Tensor of shape sample_shape(x) + self.batch_shape with values of type
self.dtype .
|
mean
mean(
name='mean'
)
Mean.
Additional documentation from StudentT
:
The mean of Student's T equals loc
if df > 1
, otherwise it is
NaN
. If self.allow_nan_stats=True
, then an exception will be raised
rather than returning NaN
.
mode
mode(
name='mode'
)
Mode.
param_shapes
@classmethod
param_shapes( sample_shape, name='DistributionParamShapes' )
Shapes of parameters given the desired shape of a call to sample()
.
This is a class method that describes what key/value arguments are required
to instantiate the given Distribution
so that a particular shape is
returned for that instance's call to sample()
.
Subclasses should override class method _param_shapes
.
Args | |
---|---|
sample_shape
|
Tensor or python list/tuple. Desired shape of a call to
sample() .
|
name
|
name to prepend ops with. |
Returns | |
---|---|
dict of parameter name to Tensor shapes.
|
param_static_shapes
@classmethod
param_static_shapes( sample_shape )
param_shapes with static (i.e. TensorShape
) shapes.
This is a class method that describes what key/value arguments are required
to instantiate the given Distribution
so that a particular shape is
returned for that instance's call to sample()
. Assumes that the sample's
shape is known statically.
Subclasses should override class method _param_shapes
to return
constant-valued tensors when constant values are fed.
Args | |
---|---|
sample_shape
|
TensorShape or python list/tuple. Desired shape of a call
to sample() .
|
Returns | |
---|---|
dict of parameter name to TensorShape .
|
Raises | |
---|---|
ValueError
|
if sample_shape is a TensorShape and is not fully defined.
|
prob
prob(
value, name='prob'
)
Probability density/mass function.
Args | |
---|---|
value
|
float or double Tensor .
|
name
|
Python str prepended to names of ops created by this function.
|
Returns | |
---|---|
prob
|
a Tensor of shape sample_shape(x) + self.batch_shape with
values of type self.dtype .
|
quantile
quantile(
value, name='quantile'
)
Quantile function. Aka "inverse cdf" or "percent point function".
Given random variable X
and p in [0, 1]
, the quantile
is:
quantile(p) := x such that P[X <= x] == p
Args | |
---|---|
value
|
float or double Tensor .
|
name
|
Python str prepended to names of ops created by this function.
|
Returns | |
---|---|
quantile
|
a Tensor of shape sample_shape(x) + self.batch_shape with
values of type self.dtype .
|
sample
sample(
sample_shape=(), seed=None, name='sample'
)
Generate samples of the specified shape.
Note that a call to sample()
without arguments will generate a single
sample.
Args | |
---|---|
sample_shape
|
0D or 1D int32 Tensor . Shape of the generated samples.
|
seed
|
Python integer seed for RNG |
name
|
name to give to the op. |
Returns | |
---|---|
samples
|
a Tensor with prepended dimensions sample_shape .
|
stddev
stddev(
name='stddev'
)
Standard deviation.
Standard deviation is defined as,
stddev = E[(X - E[X])**2]**0.5
where X
is the random variable associated with this distribution, E
denotes expectation, and stddev.shape = batch_shape + event_shape
.
Args | |
---|---|
name
|
Python str prepended to names of ops created by this function.
|
Returns | |
---|---|
stddev
|
Floating-point Tensor with shape identical to
batch_shape + event_shape , i.e., the same shape as self.mean() .
|
survival_function
survival_function(
value, name='survival_function'
)
Survival function.
Given random variable X
, the survival function is defined:
survival_function(x) = P[X > x]
= 1 - P[X <= x]
= 1 - cdf(x).
Args | |
---|---|
value
|
float or double Tensor .
|
name
|
Python str prepended to names of ops created by this function.
|
Returns | |
---|---|
Tensor of shape sample_shape(x) + self.batch_shape with values of type
self.dtype .
|
variance
variance(
name='variance'
)
Variance.
Variance is defined as,
Var = E[(X - E[X])**2]
where X
is the random variable associated with this distribution, E
denotes expectation, and Var.shape = batch_shape + event_shape
.
Additional documentation from StudentT
:
The variance for Student's T equals
df / (df - 2), when df > 2
infinity, when 1 < df <= 2
NaN, when df <= 1
Args | |
---|---|
name
|
Python str prepended to names of ops created by this function.
|
Returns | |
---|---|
variance
|
Floating-point Tensor with shape identical to
batch_shape + event_shape , i.e., the same shape as self.mean() .
|