Skip to main content
1 of 2
eakbas
  • 453
  • 1
  • 4
  • 14

Numeric problem when evaluating log of a pdf

In maximum likelihood estimation, one typically needs to compute the log (natural log) of probability values. When a probability, say $p(x)$, becomes so close to zero, $log(p(x))$ returns -Inf. What is the usual trick to avoid these cases?

eakbas
  • 453
  • 1
  • 4
  • 14