6 ms·

Strang's “Linear Algebra and Learning from Data” is printed and available

155 points by gballan 8y ago

bradneuberg 8y ago
It looks like this is a boiled down subset of linear algebra sufficient for deep learning? Is that a correct assessment?
- tptacek 8y ago
  To some extent. Gilbert Strang is kind of a linear algebra education celebrity.
  - yodon 8y ago
    He was pretty awesome to take linear algebra from. He had this perfectly tuned "absent minded professor" persona that had people almost literally on the edge of their seats trying to help him finish his points and his sentences. I've never seen a class so engaged before or after.
- mindcrime 8y ago
  Here's what the description on Amazon says: This is a textbook to help readers understand the steps that lead to deep learning. Linear algebra comes first especially singular values, least squares, and matrix factorizations. Often the goal is a low rank approximation A = CR (column-row) to a large matrix of data to see its most important part. This uses the full array of applied linear algebra, including randomization for very large matrices. Then deep learning creates a large-scale optimization problem for the weights solved by gradient descent or better stochastic gradient descent. Finally, the book develops the architectures of fully connected neural nets and of Convolutional Neural Nets (CNNs) to find patterns in data. Audience: This book is for anyone who wants to learn how data is reduced and interpreted by and understand matrix methods. Based on the second linear algebra course taught by Professor Strang, whose lectures on the training data are widely known, it starts from scratch (the four fundamental subspaces) and is fully accessible without the first text.
- p1esk 8y ago
  Looking at ToC, he explains all linear algebra topics that might trip a CS major reading DL papers. In addition, ~40% of the book is devoted to basic probability and statistics, optimization, and neural networks.
ultrasounder 8y ago
Execution of a determinant. [0] Always love it when a professor can bring in some comic relief in the midst of a very heavy math topic. The students seem to enjoy it. I am self-teaching myself background math for preparing me to the likes of PRML-Bishop, and I wholeheartedly recommend his Linear algebra course available on MIT Courseware[1] coupled with his book[2] [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amv58LCqCMI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amv58LCqCMI [1] https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-06-linear-algebra-spring-2010/ https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-06-linear-algebra... [2] https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Linear-Algebra-Gilbert-Strang/dp/0980232775/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1547067005&sr=1-5&keywords=linear+algebra https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Linear-Algebra-Gilbert-S...
dominotw 8y ago
wow $100 on amazon. It it worth the money?
- jimbokun 8y ago
  If it's nearly as good as his other work, yes.
- kqr2 8y ago
  $70 + postage if you order directly: https://math.mit.edu/~gs/linearalgebra/weborder.php https://math.mit.edu/~gs/linearalgebra/weborder.php
ngmc 8y ago
Ordered my copy a few days ago after learning about it from a talk at JuliaCon[0]. It's been a decade since I took linear algebra, so I'm also reviewing Prof. Strang's basic course[1]. What an amazing teacher. [0] https://youtu.be/gGYcSjrqbjc https://youtu.be/gGYcSjrqbjc [1] https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-06sc-linear-algebra-fall-2011/ https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-06sc-linear-algeb...
jimbokun 8y ago
Just from the title, this is a book I want to buy. I had to rapidly teach myself Linear Algebra to get through some machine learning graduate courses, and Strang's book and video lectures saved me. He has a very special talent for making complex material understandable without dumbing it down. He's up there with Norvig and Feynman for me in terms of teaching talent. That man with a piece of chalk and a big chalkboard beats any PowerPoint presentation or video presentation using animation and whatever other technological helps you can think of.
a-dub 8y ago
I've never seen his lectures, but I've used one of his books for a course and have leafed through another. I have to be honest, I never have understood why everyone loves his texts so much. I always felt that they were lacking in practical applications (even the Linear Algebra with Applications version) and that a lot of the ideas were not immediately clear when presented in his writing style. It often seemed that ideas and definitions would be thrown out with not much connection to why they were interesting. (Although I suppose this can be said of many math courses). I suppose the thing is, with this stuff, there are lots of really interesting applications. I think I would have preferred something that started with the applications and then worked backwards. Maybe this book is an improvement? I'd like to check it out. The exercises also didn't seem particularly enlightening, I just remember doing lots of rote things like LU factorization by doing Gauss elimination by hand.
- mesaframe 8y ago
  His book doesn't make much sense if you haven't seen his lectures.
  - mindcrime 8y ago
    One of this books, I forget the exact title, was pointedly written to accompany the online lectures. That one, in particular, I would guess is better read in conjunction with said lectures. Not sure about his other texts.
- gballan 8y ago
  Perhaps "Computational Science and Engineering" is a better fit for you? http://math.mit.edu/~gs/cse/ http://math.mit.edu/~gs/cse/
  - a-dub 8y ago
    That book looks great! Also his writing style is different! I will note, however, that I really like the fact that the new book has a chapter on compressed sensing. I feel like that was the thing that was always lacking when I was in school. It was like "ok, I get the idea of new bases, now what are some cool ones and how do they tie together." Occasionally someone would throw me a paper on compressed sensing or PCA/SVD or spectral decomposition, but I always felt like I wanted to see a class/book that tied them all together.
scitamehtam 8y ago
For a critical perspective on Strang see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgUB0pILNj8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgUB0pILNj8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W65K-P7dxk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W65K-P7dxk
- konz 8y ago
  Judging from the videos’ descriptions this is not “critical” but rather insulting.
- GaryNumanVevo 8y ago
  This should be flagged. Just read the second video description: "Get it you retard?! Hurry up and die. I will make sure everyone knows what a scumbag you are." This isn't a valid "critical perspective"
woodson 8y ago
Wish there was an ebook/PDF version of the book.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- GNU_IS_UNIX 8y ago
  Agreed.
NPV_Computers 8y ago
Great book to practice and learn Linear Algebra concepts, more importantly get back again for a refresher when you need to.

155 points by gballan 8y ago

It looks like this is a boiled down subset of linear algebra sufficient for deep learning? Is that a correct assessment?

tptacek 8y ago
To some extent. Gilbert Strang is kind of a linear algebra education celebrity.
- yodon 8y ago
  He was pretty awesome to take linear algebra from. He had this perfectly tuned "absent minded professor" persona that had people almost literally on the edge of their seats trying to help him finish his points and his sentences. I've never seen a class so engaged before or after.
mindcrime 8y ago
Here's what the description on Amazon says: This is a textbook to help readers understand the steps that lead to deep learning. Linear algebra comes first especially singular values, least squares, and matrix factorizations. Often the goal is a low rank approximation A = CR (column-row) to a large matrix of data to see its most important part. This uses the full array of applied linear algebra, including randomization for very large matrices. Then deep learning creates a large-scale optimization problem for the weights solved by gradient descent or better stochastic gradient descent. Finally, the book develops the architectures of fully connected neural nets and of Convolutional Neural Nets (CNNs) to find patterns in data. Audience: This book is for anyone who wants to learn how data is reduced and interpreted by and understand matrix methods. Based on the second linear algebra course taught by Professor Strang, whose lectures on the training data are widely known, it starts from scratch (the four fundamental subspaces) and is fully accessible without the first text.
p1esk 8y ago
Looking at ToC, he explains all linear algebra topics that might trip a CS major reading DL papers. In addition, ~40% of the book is devoted to basic probability and statistics, optimization, and neural networks.

ultrasounder 8y ago

Execution of a determinant. [0] Always love it when a professor can bring in some comic relief in the midst of a very heavy math topic. The students seem to enjoy it. I am self-teaching myself background math for preparing me to the likes of PRML-Bishop, and I wholeheartedly recommend his Linear algebra course available on MIT Courseware[1] coupled with his book[2] [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amv58LCqCMI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amv58LCqCMI [1] https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-06-linear-algebra-spring-2010/ https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-06-linear-algebra... [2] https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Linear-Algebra-Gilbert-Strang/dp/0980232775/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1547067005&sr=1-5&keywords=linear+algebra https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Linear-Algebra-Gilbert-S...

dominotw 8y ago

wow $100 on amazon. It it worth the money?

jimbokun 8y ago
If it's nearly as good as his other work, yes.
kqr2 8y ago
$70 + postage if you order directly: https://math.mit.edu/~gs/linearalgebra/weborder.php https://math.mit.edu/~gs/linearalgebra/weborder.php

ngmc 8y ago

Ordered my copy a few days ago after learning about it from a talk at JuliaCon[0]. It's been a decade since I took linear algebra, so I'm also reviewing Prof. Strang's basic course[1]. What an amazing teacher. [0] https://youtu.be/gGYcSjrqbjc https://youtu.be/gGYcSjrqbjc [1] https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-06sc-linear-algebra-fall-2011/ https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-06sc-linear-algeb...

jimbokun 8y ago

Just from the title, this is a book I want to buy. I had to rapidly teach myself Linear Algebra to get through some machine learning graduate courses, and Strang's book and video lectures saved me. He has a very special talent for making complex material understandable without dumbing it down. He's up there with Norvig and Feynman for me in terms of teaching talent. That man with a piece of chalk and a big chalkboard beats any PowerPoint presentation or video presentation using animation and whatever other technological helps you can think of.

a-dub 8y ago

I've never seen his lectures, but I've used one of his books for a course and have leafed through another. I have to be honest, I never have understood why everyone loves his texts so much. I always felt that they were lacking in practical applications (even the Linear Algebra with Applications version) and that a lot of the ideas were not immediately clear when presented in his writing style. It often seemed that ideas and definitions would be thrown out with not much connection to why they were interesting. (Although I suppose this can be said of many math courses). I suppose the thing is, with this stuff, there are lots of really interesting applications. I think I would have preferred something that started with the applications and then worked backwards. Maybe this book is an improvement? I'd like to check it out. The exercises also didn't seem particularly enlightening, I just remember doing lots of rote things like LU factorization by doing Gauss elimination by hand.

mesaframe 8y ago
His book doesn't make much sense if you haven't seen his lectures.
- mindcrime 8y ago
  One of this books, I forget the exact title, was pointedly written to accompany the online lectures. That one, in particular, I would guess is better read in conjunction with said lectures. Not sure about his other texts.
gballan 8y ago
Perhaps "Computational Science and Engineering" is a better fit for you? http://math.mit.edu/~gs/cse/ http://math.mit.edu/~gs/cse/
- a-dub 8y ago
  That book looks great! Also his writing style is different! I will note, however, that I really like the fact that the new book has a chapter on compressed sensing. I feel like that was the thing that was always lacking when I was in school. It was like "ok, I get the idea of new bases, now what are some cool ones and how do they tie together." Occasionally someone would throw me a paper on compressed sensing or PCA/SVD or spectral decomposition, but I always felt like I wanted to see a class/book that tied them all together.

scitamehtam 8y ago

For a critical perspective on Strang see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgUB0pILNj8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgUB0pILNj8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W65K-P7dxk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W65K-P7dxk

konz 8y ago
Judging from the videos’ descriptions this is not “critical” but rather insulting.
GaryNumanVevo 8y ago
This should be flagged. Just read the second video description: "Get it you retard?! Hurry up and die. I will make sure everyone knows what a scumbag you are." This isn't a valid "critical perspective"

woodson 8y ago

Wish there was an ebook/PDF version of the book.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
GNU_IS_UNIX 8y ago
Agreed.

NPV_Computers 8y ago

Great book to practice and learn Linear Algebra concepts, more importantly get back again for a refresher when you need to.