Vector Space Model & TF-IDF (1968): Foundation of Modern Information Retrieval & Semantic Search
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Vector Space Model & TF-IDF (1968): Foundation of Modern Information Retrieval & Semantic Search

Michael Brenndoerfer•October 13, 2025•20 min read•4,749 words•Interactive

Explore how Gerard Salton's Vector Space Model and TF-IDF weighting revolutionized information retrieval in 1968, establishing the geometric representation of meaning that underlies modern search engines, word embeddings, and language AI systems.

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Reference

BIBTEXAcademic
@misc{vectorspacemodeltfidf1968foundationofmoderninformationretrievalsemanticsearch, author = {Michael Brenndoerfer}, title = {Vector Space Model & TF-IDF (1968): Foundation of Modern Information Retrieval & Semantic Search}, year = {2025}, url = {https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/vector-space-model-tfidf-1968-information-retrieval-semantic-search-history}, organization = {mbrenndoerfer.com}, note = {Accessed: 2025-10-13} }
APAAcademic
Michael Brenndoerfer (2025). Vector Space Model & TF-IDF (1968): Foundation of Modern Information Retrieval & Semantic Search. Retrieved from https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/vector-space-model-tfidf-1968-information-retrieval-semantic-search-history
MLAAcademic
Michael Brenndoerfer. "Vector Space Model & TF-IDF (1968): Foundation of Modern Information Retrieval & Semantic Search." 2025. Web. 10/13/2025. <https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/vector-space-model-tfidf-1968-information-retrieval-semantic-search-history>.
CHICAGOAcademic
Michael Brenndoerfer. "Vector Space Model & TF-IDF (1968): Foundation of Modern Information Retrieval & Semantic Search." Accessed 10/13/2025. https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/vector-space-model-tfidf-1968-information-retrieval-semantic-search-history.
HARVARDAcademic
Michael Brenndoerfer (2025) 'Vector Space Model & TF-IDF (1968): Foundation of Modern Information Retrieval & Semantic Search'. Available at: https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/vector-space-model-tfidf-1968-information-retrieval-semantic-search-history (Accessed: 10/13/2025).
SimpleBasic
Michael Brenndoerfer (2025). Vector Space Model & TF-IDF (1968): Foundation of Modern Information Retrieval & Semantic Search. https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/vector-space-model-tfidf-1968-information-retrieval-semantic-search-history
Michael Brenndoerfer

About the author: Michael Brenndoerfer

All opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect the views of my employer.

Michael currently works as an Associate Director of Data Science at EQT Partners in Singapore, where he drives AI and data initiatives across private capital investments.

With over a decade of experience spanning private equity, management consulting, and software engineering, he specializes in building and scaling analytics capabilities from the ground up. He has published research in leading AI conferences and holds expertise in machine learning, natural language processing, and value creation through data.

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