Talk:Optimal decision

Notation for expected utility
Currently the article uses one piece of notation for two different things: $$U_D(d)$$ means both utility and expected utility. It is standard in the optimization literature to denote expected utility as the expected value of utility: $$\text{E}U_D(d).$$ I fixed the notational inconsistency by inserting the expectations operator, but this fix was reverted by Winterfors without explanation. Can you explain why? Loraof (talk) 16:10, 19 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Thanks for your edits, I reverted this particular one because $$\text{E}U_D(d).$$ gives the impression of being an expectation over the space of possible decision $$D$$, when the expectation is taken over the space of possible outcomes $$O$$. I agree that including the expectation in the notation might be a good idea, but it needs to be clear on what variable it operates.Winterfors (talk) 18:23, 19 May 2015 (UTC)