Re:Getting started with linear algebra
by WoodenChair on Thursday November 01, 2018 @11:00AM
(#18354502)
>My litmus test is the Gershgorin circle theorem. Every so often I check if I can still prove it, and if I do I try to review the surrounding matrix. I will literally vote against hiring anyone who can't at least handwave why that's true.
Interesting comment with no context—i.e. not hire someone for what? I don't know if I would ever not hire someone for not understanding a math problem (unless the job was heavily math related in the sphere of the problem). I would definitely not hire someone who communicates as ineffectively as you did in this comment.
Reminds me of: http://philip.greenspun.com/humor/mcdonalds-joke
Re:Getting started with linear algebra
by davidmr on Thursday November 01, 2018 @10:13AM
(#18354028)
Purely out of curiosity, what jobs is your employer trying to fill that an intuitive understanding of said theorem is required?
I took a lot of linear algebra and I can’t recall having covered it.
Re:Getting started with linear algebra
by jnbiche on Thursday November 01, 2018 @01:35PM
(#18356383)
> I will literally vote against hiring anyone who can't at least handwave why that's true.
I hope you're at least hiring for a machine learning engineer and not a general software engineer to build CRUD apps.
Basically you need a pencil, a lot of scratch paper and a capable waste basket; or a whiteboard all to yourself (but I get tired from being on my feet for hours on end).
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E: My litmus test is the Gershgorin circle theorem. Every so often I check if I can still prove it, and if I do I try to review the surrounding matrix. I will literally vote against hiring anyone who can't at least handwave why that's true.