B18 A SMALL STEP SIDEWAYS

When the computer cannot store the exact number

In Python, 0.1 + 0.2 isn't 0.3, and in 16-bit numbers 2048 + 1 is 2048. See where a computer's numbers run out, and the tricks that keep softmax and training finite.

LESSON OVERVIEW12 min lesson

Lesson overview

In Python, 0.1 + 0.2 isn't 0.3, and in 16-bit numbers 2048 + 1 is 2048. See where a computer's numbers run out, and the tricks that keep softmax and training finite.

What you’ll explore

  • Explain rounding, overflow, and underflow in floating-point formats, compute a softmax stably by subtracting the largest score, and compare approximate results with a tolerance.
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Original explanations, connected to the research.

Deep Learning — numerical computation
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