Stochastic Approximation: A Dynamical Systems Viewpoint

Vivek S. Borkar

ISBN 10: 0521515920 / ISBN 13: 9780521515924

Editore: Cambridge University Press, 2008

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This item is printed on demand. New copy - Usually dispatched within 5-9 working days 410. Codice articolo C9780521515924

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Titolo: Stochastic Approximation: A Dynamical ...

Casa editrice: Cambridge University Press

Data di pubblicazione: 2008

Legatura: Hardback

Condizione: New

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Riassunto:

This simple, compact toolkit for designing and analyzing stochastic approximation algorithms requires only basic literacy in probability and differential equations. Yet these algorithms have powerful applications in control and communications engineering, artificial intelligence and economic modelling. The dynamical systems viewpoint treats an algorithm as a noisy discretization of a limiting differential equation and argues that, under reasonable hypotheses, it tracks the asymptotic behaviour of the differential equation with probability one. The differential equation, which can usually be obtained by inspection, is easier to analyze. Novel topics include finite-time behaviour, multiple timescales and asynchronous implementation. There is a useful taxonomy of applications, with concrete examples from engineering and economics. Notably it covers variants of stochastic gradient-based optimization schemes, fixed-point solvers, which are commonplace in learning algorithms for approximate dynamic programming, and some models of collective behaviour. Three appendices give background on differential equations and probability.

Recensione:

'I highly recommend [this book] to all readers interested in the theory of recursive algorithms and its applications in practice.' Mathematical Reviews

'This simple compact toolkit for designing and analyzing stochastic approximation algorithms requires only basic literacy in probability and differential equations ... Ideal for graduate students, researchers and practitioners in electrical engineering and computer science, especially those working in control, communications, signal processing and machine learning, this book is also relevant to economics, probability and statistics.' L'Enseignement Mathématique