Optimization Practice

Relate stationary points, convexity, objectives, regularization, and training diagnostics.

Recommended resources

MIT 6.036 Introduction to Machine Learning — MIT Open Learning Library

Instructions

Separate objective geometry from optimizer behavior.

Ordered items

Convexity and stationary pointsOptimization · 8 min
L1 versus L2 regularizationOptimization · 6 min
Gradient descent on a quadraticGradient Descent · 7 min

Completion

Diagnose whether a problem comes from the objective, step size, or model complexity.

Agent handoff

Ask for hints-first tutoring and preserve item IDs in attempt records.

Use https://mlprep.iwase.dev/machine-learning/optimization/. If window.mlPrepAgent is available, read local attempt history before planning. Help me work through this set without revealing full answers first, and save each real attempt through the bridge.

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