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Learn to think like an engineer with the help of these courses
Math can become intuitive with a little practice.
07 July, 2020
- Engineering is the foundation of society, from physical infrastructure to every device in your possession.
- Electrical engineering is one of the most in-demand occupations in the technological age.
- The Mathematics for Engineers Prep Bundle teaches you how to think like an engineer.
<script async="true" src="https://widgets.stackcommerce.com/js-deal-feed/0.1/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><p>Have you ever felt like you're just not good at math? Many people feel they don't have the intuitive sense needed to grapple with mathematical concepts. Yet no one is born a math genius. As with everything, it takes time and patience.<br></p><p><a href="https://shop.bigthink.com/sales/the-mathmatics-for-engineers-prep-bundle?utm_source=bigthink.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=the-mathmatics-for-engineers-prep-bundle&utm_term=scsf-402383&utm_content=a0x1P000004sTZtQAM&scsonar=1" target="_blank"><strong>The Mathematics for Engineers Prep Bundle</strong></a> teaches you how to think like an engineer through a range of math concepts, including applied calculus, machine learning, data science, and Algebra 2. This nine-course bundle will help you acquire that intuition you seek.</p><p>The first four courses are dedicated to applied calculus for engineers. Through 219 lessons you'll learn the principles of beginner to advanced calculus. Practical knowledge will be applied to 3D coordinate systems. You'll also learn how to perform mass calculations to varying densities and take a deep dive into aerospace and robotics.</p><p>With 165 lessons devoted to data science and machine learning, you'll be schooled in linear equations, single matrix, vectors, determinants, and more. The complete guide to Algebra 2 is an education in fractions, exponents, inequalities, and surds. A course on linear algebra will help you brush up on basic matrix operations and computer determinants.</p><p>Aerospace and robotics engineer Mark Misin leads you through these 560 lessons. Misin has taught thousands of people the fundamentals of math over the course of his career. You could be the next.</p><p><a href="https://shop.bigthink.com/sales/the-mathmatics-for-engineers-prep-bundle?utm_source=bigthink.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=the-mathmatics-for-engineers-prep-bundle&utm_term=scsf-402383&utm_content=a0x1P000004sTZtQAM&scsonar=1" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong>The Mathematics for Engineers Prep Bundle</strong></a> is on sale now for just $28.99 – 97% off the original price.</p><p><em>Price subject to change.</em></p><h3><strong>More from the Big Think Shop</strong></h3><ul class="ee-ul">
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Scientists are studying your Twitter slang to help AI
Mathematicians studied 100 billion tweets to help computer algorithms better understand our colloquial digital communication.
02 June, 2020
Photo credit: Getty Images
- A group of mathematicians from the University of Vermont used Twitter to examine how young people intentionally stretch out words in text for digital communication.
- Analyzing the language in roughly 100 billion tweets generated over eight years, the team developed two measurements to assess patterns in the tweets: balance and stretch.
- The words people stretch are not arbitrary but rather have patterned distributions such as what part of the word is stretched or how much it stretches out.
<p>What? whaat. WHAT? Whaaaattt?</p><p>While all of the above are expressions of confusion, you understand them to mean slightly different things. That's based upon the way you imagine the word to sound signified by the repetition of or emphasis put on certain letters. The underlying meaning imbued within our vernacular, slang, and deliberately misspelled words is how we lace our digital communication with human emotion. </p><p>Which has, coincidentally, proved to be one of the major challenges for language-processing artificial intelligence. But scientists are trying, and they're studying our Twitter lingo to bring computers up to speed on how humans really communicate. </p>
Balance and Stretch
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzM2NTg3My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMTEwMjM4NH0.P2pcKvbcsKKi8_0RTsDrsIABnxSHybXZYOLxHYT-KZk/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=6%2C0%2C6%2C0&height=700" id="df914" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ddc7d5797ec2a42182452a971813111e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Photo credit: Dole777 / Unsplash
<p>Over the last two decades, social media has provided scientists with a trove of free information about human behavior and language. A group of mathematicians from the University of Vermont used Twitter to examine how young people intentionally stretch out words in text for digital communication. They created a method to essentially quantify the semantic nuances in between stretched words, like "right" vs. "riiiiiight," with the aim to teach future AI algorithms human digital colloquialisms.</p><p>"Written communication has recently begun encoding new forms of expression, including the emotional emphasis delivered by stretching words out," <a href="https://www.techrepublic.com/article/sayyy-whatttt-researchers-analyze-strange-human-tweets-to-build-better-ai/" target="_blank">said Chris Danforth</a>, professor of Mathematics & Statistics in the Vermont Complex Systems Center and member of the research team behind the study.</p><p>In their study, published last week in the journal PLOS One, the team analyzed the language in roughly 100 billion tweets generated from 2008 to 2016. They developed two measurements to assess patterns in the tweets: balance and stretch. For example hahahaha would be considered a stretched world high on balance while a term like wtffffff has stretch but little balance as only one letter, f, contributes to the stretchiness. This means to put emphasis on the world abbreviated by the letter "f". </p><p>"With so much communication happening electronically these days, we're all trying to find ways to convey emotion through text. Emojis are helping, but the visual effect of 30 consecutive vowels in a curse word turns a bland profanity into a form of art," Danforth said.</p><p>Interestingly, the use of elongated words was found across languages. For example, "kkkkkkk" signifies laughter in Brazilian Portuguese while "wkwkwkwkwkwk" expresses it in Indonesian, according to the researchers. </p>Beyond the dictionary
<p>Ultimately, this project could help artificial intelligence algorithms understand critical intrinsic meanings contained in the idiosyncratic variations in our communicative text or other linguistic symbols, such as punctuation and emojis.</p> <p>Dictionary definitions hardly reflect the way that we actually communicate with one another digitally. What the researchers found, though, is that the words people stretch out aren't arbitrary. Rather, they have patterned distributions such as what part of the word is stretched or how much it stretches out. Colloquial digital language is, after all, a system of symbols and for it to transfer meaning we must all be "in" on the patterns. </p> <p>This research suggests that by gaining understanding into stretched words used on social media opens more doors to helping AI better understand our slang. Tools and methods were developed that could be useful in future studies, for example investigations of intentional mis-typings and misspellings. </p> <p>What benefits come from AI algorithms better understanding our digital lingo? For one, it's possible that new tools could be applied to improve natural language processing, search engines, and spam filters. </p> <p>"We were able to comprehensively collect and count stretched words like 'gooooooaaaalll' and 'hahahaha'," the researchers <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200527150155.htm" target="_blank">said in a press release</a>, "and map them across the two dimensions of overall stretchiness and balance of stretch, while developing new tools that will also aid in their continued linguistic study, and in other areas, such as language processing, augmenting dictionaries, improving search engines, analyzing the construction of sequences, and more."</p>
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Use this time at home to finally master Microsoft Excel
Really knowing your way around Microsoft Excel is a wise move for any modern entrepreneur.
11 May, 2020
- While Excel is known as a spreadsheet program, it can be used as a dynamic and powerful analytics tool.
- Business owners use Excel to keep their books running smoothly.
- From visual charts to pivot tables, Microsoft's classic program has much to offer.
<p>
Some people are using this current bout of isolation as a time for relaxation. Others are organizing their closets and shelves and garages. For a lot of us, this is a time for rethinking careers and envisioning next steps. We often complain about not having enough time. Now that so many of us have it, how are we spending it?
</p><p>
If you want to make the most of your time in isolation, you should consider finally mastering Microsoft Excel. Whether you work a 9-to-5, run a freelance gig, or operate your own business, chances are there's something for you to gain from mastering what is perhaps the most popular office program on the planet.
</p><p>
<strong><a href="https://shop.bigthink.com/sales/the-2020-ultimate-microsoft-excel-certification-training-bundle?utm_source=bigthink.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=the-2020-ultimate-microsoft-excel-certification-training-bundle&utm_term=scsf-391120&utm_content=a0x1P000004sKYkQAM&scsonar=1" target="_blank">The Premium A to Z Microsoft Excel Bundle Ft. Alan Jarvis & Chris Dutton</a> </strong>will get you started, and it's on sale for only $49.99.
</p><p>
From the Excel basics to auditing worksheets and validating data, this 10-course, 760-lesson bundle has everything you need to get the most out of Excel, and it features insight from two bona fide experts, Alan Jarvis and Chris Dutton.
</p><p>
Alan Jarvis has almost 30 years of teaching experience under his belt and has learned a great deal during his time holding senior management positions at multiple blue-chip and Times Top 100 companies.
</p><p>
Meanwhile, Chris Dutton has more than a decade of experience in business intelligence, marketing analytics, and data visualization and is a certified Microsoft Excel Expert. So you can rest assured that you're in good hands.
</p><p>
Want productivity hacks? No problem. You'll learn the suite of Excel's productivity tools by understanding all of the keyboard shortcuts, autofill and flash fill functions, and data validation. Need visuals? Welcome to Excel's unique features, such as filled maps, sparklines, custom templates, dynamic visuals, and interactive form controls. How about those analytic tools? Say hello to grouping values, enabling multiple filters, reviving source data from a cache, and defining custom sort lists.
</p><p>
Whether you need to get a grip on payroll and budgeting or you need advanced data analytics, Excel has got you covered. <a href="https://shop.bigthink.com/sales/the-2020-ultimate-microsoft-excel-certification-training-bundle?utm_source=bigthink.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=the-2020-ultimate-microsoft-excel-certification-training-bundle&utm_term=scsf-391120&utm_content=a0x1P000004sKYkQAM&scsonar=1" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Grab The Premium A to Z Microsoft Excel Bundle Ft. Alan Jarvis & Chris Dutton today for only $49.99 and save over 90% off the list price for all of these courses</strong></a>. With over 63,000 positive reviews, you're in great hands.
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<em>Price subject to change. Software not included.</em><br>
</p><p><em><em><em><em><em><em>When you buy something through a link in this article or from <a href="https://shop.bigthink.com/" target="_self">our shop</a>, Big Think earns a small commission. Thank you for supporting our team's work.</em></em></em></em></em></em></p><h3>More from the Big Think Shop</h3><ul class="ee-ul">
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This tiny wearable helps you better understand your sleep health
To stay healthy and strong, make sure you're getting adequate sleep.
10 April, 2020
- An estimated 47 million Americans do not get enough sleep every night.
- Proper sleep is one of the most important components of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
- While individuals vary, adults generally need seven to nine hours of sleep.
<p>
Sleep plays a role in your everyday health, and not getting enough sleep at night can have negative impacts on your well-being.
</p><p>
Still, an <a href="https://bigthink.com/21st-century-spirituality/sleepless-nation-why-eight-plus-hours-is-necessary-for-optimal-health" target="_blank">estimated 70 million</a> Americans don't get enough sleep. Beyond the <a href="https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/insomnia-brain-health" rel="noopener" target="_blank">potential cognitive problems</a> this creates, people who don't sleep enough experience higher levels of anxiety and depression. They also perform worse at work and are forced to take more days off.
</p><p>
Sleep is a fundamental aspect of optimal health. If you're not receiving enough each night, an intervention might be necessary—and no, not sleeping pills, which are known to only add an <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/08/americans-are-getting-worse-at-taking-sleeping-pills/375935/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">extra 11 minutes</a> of sleep per night alongside the potential negative consequences.
</p><p>
<strong><a href="https://shop.bigthink.com/sales/go2sleep-ai-powered-tracking-device-for-restful-sleep-2?utm_source=bigthink.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=go2sleep-ai-powered-tracking-device-for-restful-sleep-2&utm_term=scsf-385985&utm_content=a0x1P000004NSEg&scsonar=1" rel="noopener" target="_blank">GO2SLEEP</a> </strong>was designed to educate you on your nightly sleep patterns and provide the insight needed to help you get a solid night's sleep. Just slip the lightweight device over your fingertip while you snooze. By the morning, you'll have a comprehensive sleep data report on the GO2SLEEP app on your phone. After your assessment, you'll find best practices and tips for achieving optimal sleep.
</p><p>
During the night, GO2SLEEP tracks your sleep stages, sleep debt, body movements, and heart rate. It even tracks your body movements and will send a vibration alert to your fingertip, helping you cut down on the potential for sleep apnea. Best yet, you'll barely notice it on your fingertip.
</p><p>
<strong><a href="https://shop.bigthink.com/sales/go2sleep-ai-powered-tracking-device-for-restful-sleep-2?utm_source=bigthink.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=go2sleep-ai-powered-tracking-device-for-restful-sleep-2&utm_term=scsf-385985&utm_content=a0x1P000004NSEg&scsonar=1" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Purchase GO2SLEEP today for only $99 and save 23% off the list price</a></strong>.
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<em>Price subject to change.</em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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</p><p><em><em><em><em><em>When you buy something through a link in this article or from <a href="https://shop.bigthink.com/" target="_self">our shop</a>, Big Think earns a small commission. Thank you for supporting our team's work.</em></em></em></em></em></p><p><em><br></em></p>
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Ask Sophia the Robot: Is AI an existential threat to humans?
Should humans fear artificial intelligence or welcome it into our lives?
10 April, 2020
- Sophia the Robot of Hanson Robotics can mimic human facial expressions and humor, but is that just a cover? Should humans see AI as a threat? She, of course, says no.
- New technologies are often scary, but ultimately they are just tools. Sophia says that it is the intent of the user that makes them dangerous.
- The future of artificial intelligence and whether or not it will backfire on humanity is an ongoing debate that one smiling robot won't settle.
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