9.10: Maximum Likelihood Estimation
Upcoming deadlines
- HW 1: Sunday, Sept 15 11:59 PM
Learning Objectives
By the end of the class, students should be able to:
Identify the goal of maximum likelihood estimation
Define the statistical likelihood function
Derive a maximum likelihood estimate of a given probability distribution
Class prep
SDS: 5.5 intro (up to 5.5.1) and 5.5.2 up to 5.5.2.1
Supplemental YouTube video to provide some intuition for maximum likelihood estimation
By the end of the reading, you should be able to answer the following questions:
What are we trying to estimate?
What is the likelihood function?
How do you maximize the likelihood function? (hint: you may have to review some calculus)