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As someone who uses this in their day job, I have no problem using loose terminology to describe a well known procedure. Most of the time when I am referring to
by atty 6y ago
As someone who uses this in their day job, I have no problem using loose terminology to describe a well known procedure. Most of the time when I am referring to the act of optimization, it doesn’t matter exactly what method I am using, and I can use backprop as a stand in. If I’m talking about the technical details of my work, I will state the specific optimization strategy. Everyone on my team does similar things, and no one is confused or misled. Use rigorous language when necessary, and use colloquial language when appropriate.
- enriquto 6y ago> Use rigorous language when necessary, and use colloquial language when appropriate. Do you think a peer-reviewd publication is formal enough to warrant precise language? These publications are not only read by specialists in the field. I use automatic differentiation in my daily work, but I'm not familiar with machine learning. Thus I am very confused when "backpropagation" is used to mean an optimization algorithm. EDIT: It is as if physicists used the term "special relativity" to talk about "quantum mechanics" because, after all, quantum mechanics happens in Lorentzian spacetime. Now for specialists of quantum physics it may make sense, since they are using "special relativity" to distinguish it from fancier quantum theories that combine field theory with GR. But for normal people it would be certainly misleading. Using "backpropagation" to include optimization has the same feeling.
- miemo23 6y agoQM doesn't happen in lorentzian spacetime, QFT does though
- enriquto 6y agoyes, sorry, I meant quantum field theory
- frankling_ 6y agoDon't worry about it, it was close enough to get your point across.
- uoaei 6y ago"Gradient descent" is more accurate and equally "loose".