cs.ITAug 1, 2026

An Information Theoretic Treatment of Yager's Probability Distribution Negation

Authors: Roberto BrunoUgo Vaccaro

Organizations: Department of Computer Science, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, Fisciano, 84084, Salerno, Italy.

Abstract

In the seminal paper (Yager 2015), Yager defined the negation of a probability distribution p=(p1,,pn)\mathbf{p}=(p_1,\dots,p_n), as the distribution p=(p1,,pn)\overline{\mathbf{p}} = (\overline{p}_1,\dots,\overline{p}_n), where pi=(1pi)/(n1),\overline{p}_i = ({1-p_i})/({n-1}), for i=1,,n. i=1, \ldots , n. In this paper, we present a comprehensive information-theoretic analysis of Yager's negation and its generalizations. Using tools from information theory and majorization theory, we unify, extend, and strengthen a number of previously known properties of Yager's negation within a common framework. Overall, our results offer strong theoretical justification for Yager's negation as the most natural and principled definition of probability distribution negation under various information theoretic criteria.

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