Curse of Dimensionality: Local Becomes Global

To capture a fixed fraction f of data in p dimensions, you need r = f1/p of each axis. In 10D, capturing 10% of data requires reaching 79% of each axis.

0.10

2D Square Analogy

Circle radius = r(p) at selected f.
As p grows, "local" fills the square.

Table: r(p) at f = 0.10

pr = f^(1/p)
Formula: r = f1/p
f = fraction of data
p = dimension
r = side-length of hypercube
   needed (range 0–1)

At p=10, f=0.1:
r = 0.11/10 = 0.794