Thread: The dot notation in a probability distribution

Originally Posted by Dever

Hi guys, a new member here.

In a probability distribution like N(·|0,σ2) or GP(·|0,c) what do the dot and the vertical bar mean?

And anybody has any advice on how to search for such information? I spent about three hours reading papers and textbooks to find the meaning of this notation with no luck.

That is because it is not a common notation.

The dot is usually a place holder for an unspecified variable of some kind. The vertical bar separates the parameters of the distribution (to the right) from whatever the dot represents. Your best bet to find what precisely is meant by this notation is to so to where it was introduced and see what it says there.

CB