Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Applications of EEG Neuroimaging Data: Event-related Potentials, Spectral Power, and Multiscale Entropy
Published on: June 27, 2013
Adjusted Kolmogorov Complexity of Binary Words with Empirical Entropy Normalization
1Statistics Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
Abstract:
Kolmogorov complexity of a finite binary word reflects both algorithmic structure and the empirical distribution of symbols appearing in the word. Words with symbol frequencies far from one half belong to smaller combinatorial classes and therefore appear less complex under the standard definition. In this paper, an entropy-normalized complexity measure is introduced that divides the Kolmogorov complexity of a word by the empirical entropy of its observed distribution of zeros and ones. This adjustment isolates intrinsic descriptive complexity from the purely combinatorial effect of symbol imbalance. For Martin-Löf random sequences under constructive exchangeable measures, the adjusted complexity grows linearly and converges to one. A pathological construction shows that regularity of the underlying measure is essential. The proposed framework connects Kolmogorov complexity, empirical entropy, and randomness in a natural manner and suggests applications in randomness testing and in the analysis of structured binary data.
More Related Videos
06:40Microstate and Omega Complexity Analyses of the Resting-state Electroencephalography
Published on: June 15, 2018
09:23Quantification of Information Encoded by Gene Expression Levels During Lifespan Modulation Under Broad-range Dietary Restriction in C. elegans
Published on: August 16, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Entropy
Entropy
When an ideal gas expands isothermally, the disorder in the gas increases. From the molecular perspective, the gas molecules have more volume to move around in.
Consider an infinitesimal step in the expansion, which...
Standard Entropy Change for a Reaction
Third Law of Thermodynamics
Entropy Change in Reversible Processes
The statement can be further generalized to prove that entropy is a state function. Take a cyclic process between any two points on a p-V diagram.
The Entropy as a State Function