Reddit reviews Coding the Matrix: Linear Algebra through Applications to Computer Science
We found 15 Reddit comments about Coding the Matrix: Linear Algebra through Applications to Computer Science. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Oh man, definitely start with linear algebra. While both linear algebra and calculus are super important for statistics, linear algebra is much more important because virtually every model is represented in matrix form.
I don't think you need a heavily theoretical linear algebra book, so I recommend Coding the Matrix, which is focused on linear algebra through programming applications. It'll teach you Python in the process. Admittedly I haven't used this book but I've heard good things about it, so if someone else wants to criticize it, be my guest.
I know just the book that you need:
Coding the Matrix: Linear Algebra Through Applications to Computer Science.
https://www.amazon.com/Coding-Matrix-Algebra-Applications-Computer/dp/0615880991
You could try Coding the matrix.
Not HarvesteR but I can recommend to learn about linear algebra in case you haven't yet. That's typically the first thing you do in college. Once you understand what vectors are and how to manipulate them efficiently stuff like this gets incredibly easy. Each little marble feels the pull of all the other marbles and all I do is to calculate its current velocity vector based on all these pulls for the next time step. If they come closer than their radii they merge and the new marble's velocity is calculated using their impulses. What you essentially do in every such simulation is to calculate a bodies location, speed and everything based on the data of the previous timestep(s).
The most challenging part imo is you have to come up with a formula to calculate the next time step. As a simplified example a car's future velocity is v(t+1) = v(t) + a*dt which stand for its current velocity plus its acceleration times the time-step-length into the future dt. Now all you have to do is calculate this formula for every simulation time step while changing a based on your gas pedal position. If you plot your velocity onto a graph you will see how it follows a but that's of course a little unrealistic since you in reality have some delays and so on. a is also its own function that you have to come up with in order to simulate how a car accelerates based on its inertia and so on. It can get as complex as you like. The only boundary for such a system's complexity would be Einstein relativity. If you get to a point where you use Einstein's 10 equations to calculate your cars velocity you have truly become a master of your field. And you probably lost all your hair in the process. lol
I don't know this book but it has an awesome clickbait title! Coding the Matrix
I'm not sure I understand your concern, but if you struggle with math, it may help to start with coding. It can make things a little more concrete. You might try code academy, a coding bootcamp, or MIT open courseware.
An Emory prof has a great intro stats course online: https://www.youtube.com/user/RenegadeThinking
Linear algebra is the foundation of the most widely used branch of stats. This book teaches it by coding example. It's full of interesting practical applications (there's a coursera course to go with it): https://www.amazon.com/Coding-Matrix-Algebra-Applications-Computer/dp/0615880991/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469533241&sr=8-1&keywords=coding+the+matrix
Once you start to feel comfortable, this book offers a great (albeit dense) introduction to mathematics. It used to be used in freshman gen ed math courses, but sadly, American unis decided that actually doing math/logic isn't a priority anymore: https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Elementary-Approach-Ideas-Methods/dp/0195105192/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469533516&sr=8-1&keywords=what+is+mathematics
From the ground up, I dunno. But I looked through my amazon order history for the past 10 years and I can say that I personally enjoyed reading the following math books:
An Introduction to Graph Theory
Introduction to Topology
Coding the Matrix: Linear Algebra through Applications to Computer Science
A Book of Abstract Algebra
An Introduction to Information Theory
Try this..
https://www.amazon.com/Coding-Matrix-Algebra-Applications-Computer/dp/0615880991/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497016470&sr=8-1&keywords=coding+the+matrix
It's an amazing book with programming in Python.
I got mine on Amazon.
And for free, you can check out their site which has a MOOC and PDFs of the slides, which are the basis of the book:
http://codingthematrix.com/
Ooooh. You mean you're in primary school! Well then, you're doing phenomenally well to even be asking these questions!
The biggest subjects you'll want to learn for machine-learning are real analysis, multivariable calculus, probability theory, and linear algebra. The prerequisite structures for those are:
If you can write computer programs and do basic elementary algebra (solving for x, that sort of thing), you can pick up Coding the Matrix to learn linear algebra through applications you can actually program and see results from.
This book by Philip Klein coding the matrix is quite good, it works through the theory of linear algebra while also applying it through Python. There's also the accompanying [website] (http://codingthematrix.com/) which showcases the type of things which you could make by going through this book.
That helps a little. I'm not too familiar with that world (I'm a physics major), but I took a look at a sample civil engineering course curriculum. If you like learning but the material in high school is boring, you could try self-teaching yourself basic physics, basic applied mathematics, or some chemistry, that way you could focus more on engineering in college. I don't know much about engineering literature, but this book is good for learning ODE methods (I own it) and this book is good for introductory classical mechanics (I bought and looked over it for a family member). The last one will definitely challenge you. Linear Algebra is also incredibly useful knowledge, in case you want to do virtually anything. Considering you like engineering, a book less focused on proofs and more focused on applications would be better for you. I looked around on Amazon, and I found this book that focuses on applications in computer science, and I found this book focusing on applications in general. I don't own any of those books, but they seem to be fine. You should do your own personal vetting though. Considering you are in high school, most of those books should be relatively affordable. I would personally go for the ODE or classical mechanics book first. They should both be very accessible to you. Reading through them and doing exercises that you find interesting would definitely give you an edge over other people in your class. I don't know if this applies to engineering, but using LaTeX is an essential skill for physicists and mathematicians. I don't feel confident in recommending any engineering texts, since I could easily send you down the wrong road due to my lack of knowledge. If you look at an engineering stack exchange, they could help you with that.
​
You may also want to invest some time into learning a computer language. Doing some casual googling, I arrived at the conclusion that programming is useful in civil engineering today. There are a multitude of ways to go about learning programming. You can try to teach yourself, or you can try and find a class outside of school. I learned to program in such a class that my parents thankfully paid for. If you are fortunate enough to be in a similar situation, that might be a fun use of your time as well. To save you the trouble, any of these languages would be suitable: Python, C#, or VB.NET. Learning C# first will give you a more rigorous understanding of programming as compared to learning Python, but Python might be easier. I chose these three candidates based off of quick application potential rather than furthering knowledge in programming. This is its own separate topic, but my personal two cents are you will spend more time deliberating between programming languages rather than programming if you don't choose one quickly.
​
What might be the best option is contacting a professor at the college you will be attending and asking for advice. You could email said professor with something along the lines of, "Hi Professor X! I'm a recently accepted student to Y college, and I'm really excited to study engineering. I want to do some rigorous learning about Z subject, but I don't know where to start. Could you help me?" Your message would be more formal than that, but I suspect you get the gist. Being known by your professors in college is especially good, and starting in high school is even better. These are the people who will write you recommendations for a job, write you recommendations for graduate school (if you plan on it), put you in contact with potential employers, help you in office hours, or end up as a friend. At my school at least, we are on a first name basis with professors, and I have had dinner with a few of mine. If your professors like you, that's excellent. Don't stress it though; it's not a game you have to psychopathically play. A lot of these relationships will develop naturally.
​
That more or less covers educational things. If your laziness stems from material boredom, everything related to engineering I can advise on should be covered up there. Your laziness may also just originate from general apathy due to high school not having much impact on your life anymore. You've submitted college applications, and provided you don't fail your classes, your second semester will probably not have much bearing on your life. This general line of thought is what develops classic second semester senioritis. The common response is to blow off school, hang out with your friends, go to parties, and in general waste your time. I'm not saying don't go to parties, hang out with friends, etc., but what I am saying is you will feel regret eventually about doing only frivolous and passing things. This could be material to guilt trip yourself back into caring.
​
For something more positive, try to think about some of your fun days at school before this semester. What made those days enjoyable? You could try to reproduce those underlying conditions. You could also go to school with the thought "today I'm going to accomplish X goal, and X goal will make me happy because of Y and Z." It always feels good to accomplish goals. If you think about it, second semester senioritis tends to make school boring because there are no more goals to accomplish. As an analogy, think about your favorite video game. If you have already completed the story, acquired the best items, played the interesting types of characters/party combinations, then why play the game? That's a deep question I won't fully unpack, but the simple answer is not playing the game because all of the goals have been completed. In a way, this is a lot like second semester of senior year. In the case of real life, you can think of second semester high school as the waiting period between the release of the first title and its sequel. Just because you are waiting doesn't mean you do nothing. You play another game, and in this case it's up to you to decide exactly what game you play.
​
Alternatively, you could just skip the more elegant analysis from the last few paragraphs and tell yourself, "If I am not studying, then someone else is." This type of thinking is very risky, and most likely, it will make you unhappy, but it is a possibility. Fair warning, you will be miserable in college and misuse your 4 years if the only thing you do is study. I guarantee that you will have excellent grades, but I don't think the price you pay is worth it.
I'm guessing you're in college? If so whats your major? I would recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Coding-Matrix-Algebra-Applications-Computer/dp/0615880991/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1497821731&sr=8-4&keywords=linear+algebra
and also recommend taking number theory, real analysis and complex analysis classes before getting to abstract algebra and your second course in linear. They really arent must have prereqs but it helps, builds you to tackle them, but definitely take a intro to proofs class before taking AA or linear.
I would research the standard computer science courses your school and district offers and has permitted first (Java, C++, etc) if you want to teach AP Computer Science etc.
If you're looking to develop coursework for your school/district (and it sounds like you work in mathematics), you might be able to pitch some courses for your upper level school. I'm seeing this Linear Algebra/Computer Science Concepts courses appear at college (This one uses Python: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0615880991/)...Personally, I'm DYING to teach that one.
I would also like to teach analysis courses that worked with SQL and building/interacting with databases.
I would talk to admin...if you can pitch a mathematics concept that teaches using programming, you might have struck gold with them.
Once familiar with Python, if there's any need for Linear Algebra, this book is very nice as it comes at it from the coding/application side and encourages experimentation:
https://www.amazon.com/Coding-Matrix-Algebra-Applications-Computer/dp/0615880991
PS: I really do hope you do well switching to programming and if you need to brush up on the math needed for it, This Book seems to teach math like probability and linear algebra through coding. Knowing Linear Algebra will give you a huge leg up the programming world. (Fun fact, most of it is taking advantage of the distance formula in different contexts.)