 Kernel for density estimation

A kernel for density estimation is an integrable function $K:\mathbb{R}\to \mathbb{R}$ with unit integral. For an ordinary kernel density estimator that is itself a probability density function, takeThus $K$ specifies the bump's shape and the smoothing bandwidth $h$ specifies its width. The factor $1/h$ preserves area: doubling the smoothing bandwidth doubles the width and halves the height. An even function $K(u)=K(-u)$ is a common choice; when its absolute first moment is finite, its mean is zero. Symmetry is useful but is not required for normalization.

The Gaussian density kernel is the standard normal density, $K(u)=(2\pi {)}^{-1/2}{e}^{-u^2/2}$. Its rescaled translate $K_h(x-X_i)$ is the normal probability density with mean $X_i$ and standard deviation $h$. It is positive everywhere, whereas an Epanechnikov kernel has compact support. With the Gaussian density kernel, the smoothing bandwidth is a standard deviation, not a cutoff beyond which observations have no influence.

The broader convention also allows signed kernels of order ell, such as the flat-top kernel for density estimation, to cancel moments and reduce the bias of an estimator. Their unit integral still normalizes total area, but a resulting kernel density estimator can take negative values and need not be a probability density function. Nonnegativity is therefore an additional condition, not a consequence of unit integral.