3
$\begingroup$

I am trying to self-taught myself on Calculus for machine learning and read the book by Spivak. But it is too rigorous and need a lot of time to finish it.

As far as I am concerned, Calculus is only used for optimization in machine learning.

I am seeking some good calculus resources especially apt for machine learning research but less rigorous than Spivak.

Edited: After some research, I plan on going through MIT OpenCourseWare on single, multivariable calculus and differential equations. What book should I read to study calculus along watching these lectures?

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
11
  • 4
    $\begingroup$ Close-voters: we have a references tag, and questions on references are specifically on-topic. I will add the tag and vote to keep this question open. $\endgroup$
    – Stephan Kolassa
    Commented Mar 16, 2023 at 20:24
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ A "hack" text for this would be the Schaum's outline series. These can be bought used for pennies at used book stores or online. It's nothing but definitions and worked problems, the ultimate slacker's guide. They are also available for differential equations and linear algebra assuming you're looking for the pressure cooker solution to my outline here: stats.stackexchange.com/questions/609570/… $\endgroup$
    – AdamO
    Commented Mar 16, 2023 at 20:58
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ @User1865345: seriously? Especially in a community full of non-native speakers, this feels like unnecessary nitpicking to me. If OP asked for just any reference, that would be OK? $\endgroup$
    – Stephan Kolassa
    Commented Mar 16, 2023 at 21:07
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Hm. I agree @StephanKolassa with this. Rewording can change a lot. So I would vote to reopen once it is reframed to a reference post. $\endgroup$
    – User1865345
    Commented Mar 16, 2023 at 21:08
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @User1865345 I disagree, this might be a question for meta. My understanding is that if a new user has a closed question and there's an obvious edit that doesn't ruin the spirit of the ask but makes the question on-topic - on this point I agree with Stephan - you should edit the question to an acceptable format. $\endgroup$
    – AdamO
    Commented Mar 16, 2023 at 21:22

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2
$\begingroup$

It's not a book and not addressing optimization, but one of the best resources to self-learn calculus are the lectures by Gilbert Strang that were recorded and are available on YouTube. He also wrote a great handbook.

If you would find Strang a little bit too hard, I'll recommend starting with the Khan Academy lectures.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
2
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ Strang is a national treasure. $\endgroup$
    – AdamO
    Commented Mar 16, 2023 at 20:47
  • $\begingroup$ I followed his linear algebra classes religiously; the calculus would also be definitely worth it. $\endgroup$
    – User1865345
    Commented Mar 16, 2023 at 21:06

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.