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Back to the lesson libraryMATH SIDE LESSON
B12 A SMALL STEP SIDEWAYS

A derivative is a local change

Every training step asks "if I nudge this weight, how fast does the loss change?" Zoom in on a curve until two-point slopes settle on one number, the derivative.

LESSON OVERVIEW13 min lesson

Lesson overview

Every training step asks "if I nudge this weight, how fast does the loss change?" Zoom in on a curve until two-point slopes settle on one number, the derivative.

What you’ll explore

  • Distinguish a finite-step average rate from a derivative, calculate both for a square, and use a loss slope to choose a small update direction.
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