AIExplainer
Machine Learning Intermediate 1 min read

What is a cumulative distribution function?

A function that defines the frequency of samples less than or equal to a target value.

A function that defines the frequency of samples less than or equal to a target value. For example, consider a normal distribution of continuous values. A CDF tells you that approximately 50% of samples should be less than or equal to the mean and that approximately 84% of samples should be less than or equal to one standard deviation above the mean.

Practitioners refer to cumulative distribution function when building, training, or evaluating machine learning systems. It appears in research papers, product documentation, and technical discussions about AI capabilities and limitations.