Let p1,…,pn be a probability distribution, with p∗=maxi[pi]. Prove that
(i)−i∑pilogpi⩾−p∗logp∗−(1−p∗)log(1−p∗)( ii )−i∑pilogpi⩾log(1/p∗); and ( iii )−i∑pilogpi⩾2(1−p∗)
All logarithms are to base 2 .
[Hint: To prove (iii), it is convenient to use (i) for p∗⩾21 and (ii) for p∗⩽21.]
Random variables X and Y with values x and y from finite 'alphabets' I and J represent the input and output of a transmission channel, with the conditional probability p(x∣y)=P(X=x∣Y=y). Let h(p(⋅∣y)) denote the entropy of the conditional distribution p(⋅∣y),y∈J, and h(X∣Y) denote the conditional entropy of X given Y. Define the ideal observer decoding rule as a map f:J→I such that p(f(y)∣y)=maxx∈Ip(x∣y) for all y∈J. Show that under this rule the error probability
πer(y)=x∈Ix=f(y)∑p(x∣y)
satisfies πer(y)⩽21h(p(⋅∣y)), and the expected value satisfies
Eπer(Y)⩽21h(X∣Y)