The maximum likelihood estimator, $\bth$, of a parameter $\bt$, given observed data $\x$, is the value of the parameter that maximizes the likelihood:
\[\bth = \argmax_{\bt} \, L(\bt \mid \x).\]The maximum likelihood estimator, $\bth$, of a parameter $\bt$, given observed data $\x$, is the value of the parameter that maximizes the likelihood:
\[\bth = \argmax_{\bt} \, L(\bt \mid \x).\]