Back to the lesson libraryMECHANISM · 15 MIN
M10.4 CONNECT THE MECHANISM

How momentum and Adam use earlier gradients

Plain gradient descent zigzags down narrow valleys. See how a rolling ball's momentum and Adam's per-weight step sizes get to the bottom in a fraction of the steps.

LESSON OVERVIEW15 min lesson

Lesson overview

Plain gradient descent zigzags down narrow valleys. See how a rolling ball's momentum and Adam's per-weight step sizes get to the bottom in a fraction of the steps.

What you’ll explore

  • Learning-rate schedules and momentum-based optimizers transform the gradient history; Adam estimates first and second moments, and its settings still require validation.
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