Information content of a random variable Random variable x Outcome of a random experiment Discrete R V takes on values from a finite set of possible outcomes PMF: P(X=y)=Py) How much information is contained in the event X=y? Will the sun rise today Revealing the outcome of this experiment provides no information Will the Celtics win the NBa championship? Since this is unlikely, revealing yes provides more information than revealing Events that are less likely contain more information than likely events
Definition A real-valued function V: X H R defined on state space X of a system with behavior set B and state r:B×[0,∞)→ X is called a Lyapunov function if tHv(t)=v(a(t))=v(a(z(), t)) is a non-increasing function of time for every z E B according to this definition, Lyapunov