Radial Basis Function Kernel

The Radial Basis Function (RBF) kernel, also known as the Gaussian kernel, is one of the most widely used kernel functions. It operates by measuring the similarity between data points based on their Euclidean distance in the input space. Mathematically, the RBF kernel between two data points, [Tex]\mathbf{x}[/Tex] and [Tex]\mathbf{x’}[/Tex], is defined as:

[Tex]K(\mathbf{x}, \mathbf{x’}) = \exp\left(-\frac{|\mathbf{x} – \mathbf{x’}|^2}{2\sigma^2}\right)[/Tex]

where,

  • [Tex] |\mathbf{x} – \mathbf{x’}|^2[/Tex] represents the squared Euclidean distance between the two data points.
  • [Tex]\sigma[/Tex] is a parameter known as the bandwidth or width of the kernel, controlling the smoothness of the decision boundary.

If we expand the above exponential expression, It will go upto infinite power of x and x’, as expansion of [Tex]e^x[/Tex] contains infinite terms upto infinite power of x hence it involves terms upto infinite powers in infinite dimension.

Radial Basis Function Kernel – Machine Learning

Kernels play a fundamental role in transforming data into higher-dimensional spaces, enabling algorithms to learn complex patterns and relationships. Among the diverse kernel functions, the Radial Basis Function (RBF) kernel stands out as a versatile and powerful tool. In this article, we delve into the intricacies of the RBF kernel, exploring its mathematical formulation, intuitive understanding, practical applications, and its significance in various machine learning algorithms.

Table of Content

  • What is Kernel Function?
  • Radial Basis Function Kernel
  • Transforming Linear Algorithms into Infinite-dimensional Nonlinear Classifiers and Regressors
  • Why Radial Basis Kernel Is much powerful?
    • Some Complex Dataset Fitted Using RBF Kernel easily:
  • Radial Basis Function Neural Network for XOR Classification
  • Practical Applications of Radial Basis Function Kernel

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What is Kernel Function?

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Radial Basis Function Kernel

The Radial Basis Function (RBF) kernel, also known as the Gaussian kernel, is one of the most widely used kernel functions. It operates by measuring the similarity between data points based on their Euclidean distance in the input space. Mathematically, the RBF kernel between two data points, [Tex]\mathbf{x}[/Tex] and [Tex]\mathbf{x’}[/Tex], is defined as:...

Transforming Linear Algorithms into Infinite-dimensional Nonlinear Classifiers and Regressors

If we apply any of the algorithms like perceptron Algorithm or linear regression on RBF kernel, actually we would be applying our algorithm to new infinite-dimensional data point we have created. Hence it will give a hyperplane in infinite dimensions, which will give a very strong non-linear classifier or regression curve after returning to our original dimensions....

Why Radial Basis Kernel Is much powerful?

The main motive of the kernel is to do calculations in any d-dimensional space where d > 1, so that we can get a quadratic, cubic or any polynomial equation of large degree for our classification/regression line. Since Radial basis kernel uses exponent and as we know the expansion of [Tex]e^x[/Tex] gives a polynomial equation of infinite power, so using this kernel, we make our regression/classification line infinitely powerful too....

Radial Basis Function Neural Network for XOR Classification

RBFNN Class:The RBFNN class initializes with a parameter sigma, representing the width of the Gaussian radial basis function.It contains methods to calculate Gaussian activation functions and to fit the model to data.The fit method trains the RBFNN model by computing activations for input data points and solving for the weights using the Moore-Penrose pseudo-inverse.The predict method predicts the output for new input data points using the trained model.Example Usage:The XOR dataset (X) consists of four data points, each with two features.Corresponding labels (y) represent the XOR function output for each data point.An RBFNN instance is created with a specified sigma value.The model is trained using the fit method on the XOR dataset.Predictions are obtained for the same dataset using the predict method.The mean squared error (MSE) between the predicted and actual outputs is calculated.Finally, the results are plotted, showing the predicted outputs colored based on their values, providing a visualization of the RBFNN’s predictions for the XOR dataset....

Practical Applications of Radial Basis Function Kernel

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