Math

Mathematics

Mathematics here is the working language for vectors, matrices, gradients, probability, optimization, information, and the models built from them.

Preface

The goal is understanding, not mathematical performance. Each chapter should help you read equations, compute small examples, check the same idea in code, and connect the result to machine learning.

The order matters. Mathematical language comes before vectors. Vectors come before matrices. Geometry gives those operations a picture. Linear systems and decompositions expose structure before calculus introduces gradients and backpropagation. Probability, numerical computation, optimization, statistics, and information theory support the later deep learning and language-model chapters.

How to study this path

Make the ideas usable.

Mathematics here is not a gatekeeping test. It is a language for reading machine learning ideas precisely. Read slowly. Translate notation into words. Work the small checks. Move on when the idea is usable, then return when later chapters make it sharper.

  • Do not memorize every formula before moving forward.
  • For each page, say the main idea in plain language.
  • Use the checks to catch doubts while the idea is still small.
  • If a definition feels abstract, read the example first and then return to the definition.
  • Come back later. Mathematics compounds because ideas are reused.
  • The chapters are in prerequisite order, but review pages are safe to revisit whenever a later topic exposes a gap.

Chapters

Move through the path in order.

All current Mathematics chapters are open for reading. Start at Chapter 1 unless the language of notation already feels comfortable, then keep the order because later chapters reuse earlier ideas.

Chapter 1Mathematical Language

Notation, variables, functions, sets, sums, and the habit of reading formulas aloud.

8 lessons + 5 review pages
Chapter 2Vectors

Vectors as data, positions, directions, weighted sums, and the beginning of representation geometry.

10 lessons + 5 review pages
Chapter 3Matrices

Matrices as tables, shape rules, linear maps, and neural network layers.

9 lessons + 5 review pages
Chapter 4Geometry

Length, distance, angles, orthogonality, projection, subspaces, and embedding geometry.

11 lessons + 5 review pages
Chapter 5Linear Systems and Decompositions

Rank, span, basis, eigenvalues, SVD, low-rank approximation, and PCA.

11 lessons + 5 review pages
Chapter 6Calculus

Derivatives, gradients, Jacobians, chain rule, computation graphs, and backpropagation.

10 lessons + 5 review pages
Chapter 7Probability

Events, random variables, distributions, expectation, variance, conditional probability, and Bayes' rule.

11 lessons + 5 review pages
Chapter 8Numerical Computation

Floating point, rounding, overflow, underflow, stable softmax, log-sum-exp, and gradient checks.

10 lessons + 5 review pages
Chapter 9Optimization

Loss functions, gradient descent, learning rates, momentum, regularization, and training as search.

11 lessons + 5 review pages
Chapter 10Statistics

Samples, splits, estimators, bias and variance, likelihood, uncertainty, and validation.

12 lessons + 5 review pages
Chapter 11Information Theory

Entropy, cross-entropy, KL divergence, mutual information, perplexity, and compression as prediction.

10 lessons + 5 review pages

Progress

Progress is saved locally on this device. Use it as a private reading marker while moving through the path.