THE FUTURE IS HERE

Optimizers | Gradient Descent with Momentum | Nesterov Accelerated Gradient | Deep Learning basics

In this video, we’ll do a recap of Gradient Descent and understand its drawbacks, the we’ll be looking at how Momentum and Nesterov Accelerated Gradient Descent (NAG) come to the rescue. ๐ŸŒŸ

Gradient Descent: The Basics
Gradient Descent is a fundamental optimization technique used to minimize loss functions in machine learning. It works by iteratively adjusting the model parameters in the direction of the steepest descent of the loss function.

However, Gradient Descent has a few notable drawbacks:
Local Minima Trap ๐Ÿ˜ฑ – Gradient Descent can get stuck in local minima, failing to find the global minimum.
Unstable Gradient Movement โšก – Mini-batch updates can cause erratic movements, making convergence unstable.
Slow Convergence ๐Ÿข – In flat regions of the loss function, Gradient Descent converges very slowly, prolonging the optimization process.

Momentum-Based Gradient Descent: A Solution with a Twist
To address these issues, we turn to Momentum-Based Gradient Descent.

Here’s how it helps:
History Accumulation ๐Ÿ“Š: It combines the current gradient with a fraction of the previous gradients, smoothing out the updates.
Faster Convergence ๐Ÿš€: This historical accumulation helps the algorithm converge much faster, particularly in flat regions.
Local Minima Avoidance ๐Ÿ”„: Itโ€™s more likely to escape local minima due to its increased inertia.

Drawback: Despite these advantages, Momentum can cause the optimization path to take numerous U-turns, which can be inefficient.

Nesterov Accelerated Gradient (NAG): A Smarter Approach
Nesterov Accelerated Gradient Descent improves upon Momentum by introducing a look-ahead step:

Look-Ahead Step ๐Ÿ‘€: Before calculating the gradient, NAG takes a step according to the accumulated history, leading to a temporary update in model parameters.
Controlled Steps ๐Ÿ‘ฃ: By looking at the gradient from this new point, NAG takes more informed and controlled steps towards the minimum.

In Summary:
Gradient Descent: Effective but slow and prone to instability.
Momentum: Adds speed and stability but can cause inefficiencies with U-turns.
NAG: Combines the best of both worlds with faster, more controlled convergence.

If you found this explanation helpful, donโ€™t forget to like ๐Ÿ‘, share ๐Ÿ“ค, and subscribe ๐Ÿ”” for more tech insights! ๐Ÿ’ก Your support helps us create more valuable content for you. Thanks for watching! ๐Ÿ™Œ