Beginner · Fundamentals
Classification model
Visual diagram · (in preparation) · Math · (in preparation) · Worked example · 3 difficulty levels.
TL;DR. A predictive model that assigns an input to one of several predefined categories or classes.
Technical Definition
A predictive model that assigns an input to one of several predefined categories or classes.
How it works
A classification model is designed to predict a categorical label for a given input, rather than a continuous numerical value. Examples include identifying the language of a sentence, determining the species of a tree, or diagnosing a medical condition as positive or negative. This is in contrast to regression models, which predict numerical outputs.
Related Concepts
- Binary classification — A machine learning task that categorizes input into one of two mutually exclusive classes, like 'spam' or 'not spam'.
- Class — A category that a label can belong to, such as 'spam' or 'not spam' in an email classification task.
- Classifier — A common, informal term for a classification model.