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Lex Fridman Podcast

Gilbert Strang: Linear Algebra, Deep Learning, Teaching, and MIT OpenCourseWare

Lex Fridman Podcast

Lex Fridman

Technology, Society & Culture, Philosophy, Science

4.713.6K Ratings

🗓️ 25 November 2019

⏱️ 50 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Gilbert Strang is a professor of mathematics at MIT and perhaps one of the most famous and impactful teachers of math in the world. His MIT OpenCourseWare lectures on linear algebra have been viewed millions of times.

This conversation is part of the Artificial Intelligence podcast. If you would like to get more information about this podcast go to https://lexfridman.com/ai or connect with @lexfridman on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, or YouTube where you can watch the video versions of these conversations. If you enjoy the podcast, please rate it 5 stars on Apple Podcasts or support it on Patreon.

This episode is presented by Cash App. Download it, use code LexPodcast. 

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Here’s the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.

00:00 – Introduction
03:45 – Math rockstar
05:10 – MIT OpenCourseWare
07:29 – Four Fundamental Subspaces of Linear Algebra
13:11 – Linear Algebra vs Calculus
15:03 – Singular value decomposition
19:47 – Why people like math
23:38 – Teaching by example
25:04 – Andrew Yang
26:46 – Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
29:21 – Deep learning
37:28 – Theory vs application
38:54 – Open problems in mathematics
39:00 – Linear algebra as a subfield of mathematics
41:52 – Favorite matrix
46:19 – Advice for students on their journey through math
47:37 – Looking back

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

The following is a conversation with Gilbert Strang.

0:03.2

He's a professor of mathematics in MIT

0:05.6

and perhaps one of the most famous and impactful teachers

0:08.8

of math in the world.

0:10.5

His MIT Open Coursework lectures on linear algebra

0:13.6

have been viewed millions of times.

0:15.8

As an undergraduate student, I was one of those millions

0:18.8

of students.

0:19.9

There's something inspiring about the way he teaches.

0:22.7

There's at once calm, simple, and yet full of passion

0:26.0

for the elegance inherent to mathematics.

0:29.0

I remember doing the exercise in his book,

0:31.2

Introduction to Linear Algebra, and slowly realizing

0:34.4

that the world of matrices, of vector spaces,

0:37.4

of determinants and eigenvalues, of geometric transformations,

0:41.1

and matrix decompositions, reveal a set of powerful tools

0:45.1

in the toolbox of artificial intelligence.

0:47.8

From signals to images, from numerical optimization

0:51.1

to robotics, computer vision, deep learning, computer

0:54.0

graphics, and everywhere outside AI, including, of course,

0:58.3

a quantum mechanical study of our universe.

1:01.5

This is the Artificial Intelligence Podcast.

...

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