# Is there an integer-valued analogue of information entropy?

Let $H_n : (\langle 0,1 \rangle \cap \mathbb{Q})^n \to \langle 0,\log_2 n \rangle, \; H_n(P) = -\sum_{i=1}^n P_i \log_2 P_i, \; \sum_i P_i = 1$ be the information entropy on rationals. I am looking for an integer-valued analogue $H_n' : \mathbb{N}^n\to\mathbb{Z}$ satisfying the following: Denote $K_x =\sum_{i=1} C_{x,i}$ then $H_n\left(\frac{C_a}{K_a}\right) > H_n\left(\frac{C_b}{K_b}\right)$ iff $H_n'(C_a) > H_n'(C_b).$ The inequality really needs to be strict. In other words, I am looking for a monotonic transform from $H_n$ to $H_n'$.

I am unable to figure this out, first I thought that putting $H$ to exponent would suffice but $2^{H_n(P)} = \prod_{i=1}^n P_i^{-P_i}$ is obviously not integer valued. Then I ran out of ideas.

• closed interval – user1747134 Jun 27 '18 at 10:38

Let $I$ be the image of $H_n$. Then $I$ is a countable dense subset of $[0, \log_2 n]$. If such a function $H_n'$ would exist, then $H_n'(C_a) = f\big(H_n\big(\tfrac{C_a}{K_a}\big)\big)$, where $f$ is an injective monotonic function $f:I\to\mathbb{Z}$. Such a function $f$ cannot exist: For any $x,y\in I$ there is $z\in I$ with $x < z < y$, but the same is not true in $\mathbb{Z}$.