What is Tensors in Machine Learning.

Faheem Khan
3 min readJun 9, 2023

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Brief introduction about tensors.

A Tensor is a multi-dimensional array of numbers arranged in a specific order. The order of a tensor refers to the number of indices required to specify each element in the array. For example, a scalar can be thought of as a zeroth-order tensor, a vector is a first-order tensor, and a matrix is a second-order tensor.

Important notes on Tensors in Machine Learning:

1. Introduction:

  1. Tensors are fundamental data structures in machine learning.
  2. They are multi-dimensional arrays used to represent and manipulate data.
  3. Tensors enable efficient computation and storage of complex data structures.

2. Rank and Shape of Tensors:

  1. Tensors have rank, which refers to the number of indices required to access elements.
  2. Rank-0 tensor: Scalar (single value)
  3. Rank-1 tensor: Vector (sequence of values)
  4. Rank-2 tensor: Matrix (2D array of values)
  5. Higher-rank tensors: Generalize to more dimensions
  6. Shape of a tensor describes the size of each dimension.

3. Tensor Operations:

  1. Tensor addition and subtraction: Performed element-wise for tensors of the same shape.
  2. Scalar multiplication and division: Each element is multiplied or divided by the scalar.
  3. Tensor dot product: Multiply corresponding elements and sum the results.
  4. Tensor transpose: Rearranges the dimensions of a tensor.
  5. Tensor reshaping: Changes the shape of a tensor while preserving the total number of elements.

4. Tensors in Neural Networks:

  1. Tensors are used to represent input data, model parameters, and intermediate results.
  2. Images, videos, and audio are represented as multi-dimensional tensors.
  3. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) use tensors for input and convolution operations.
  4. Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) process sequential data with tensor representations.

5. Tensor Libraries and Frameworks:

  1. Popular libraries like TensorFlow and PyTorch provide efficient tensor operations.
  2. These libraries optimize computations on tensors using GPUs and distributed systems.
  3. Tensors can be easily manipulated and transformed using built-in functions.

6. Tensor Broadcasting:

  1. Broadcasting allows operations between tensors with different shapes.
  2. Smaller tensors are automatically expanded to match the shape of larger tensors.
  3. Broadcasting reduces the need for explicit tensor reshaping.

7. Gradient Tensors and Automatic Differentiation:

  1. Tensors can store gradients, enabling automatic differentiation for training models.
  2. During backpropagation, gradients flow through the computation graph of tensors.
  3. Gradients are calculated with respect to tensor variables using chain rule.

8. Tensor Compression and Optimization:

  1. Tensors can be compressed to reduce memory usage and improve efficiency.
  2. Techniques like tensor decomposition and quantization are used for compression.
  3. Optimization algorithms exploit tensor structures to speed up computations.

9. Applications of Tensors in Machine Learning:

  1. Image and video recognition: Tensors represent pixels and frames.
  2. Natural language processing: Tensors encode text and sequences.
  3. Generative models: Tensors store latent variables and generate new samples.

10. Conclusion:

  1. Tensors are essential for representing and manipulating data in machine learning.
  2. They enable efficient computation, optimization, and automatic differentiation.
  3. Understanding tensors is crucial for working with modern machine learning frameworks and algorithms.

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Faheem Khan
Faheem Khan

Written by Faheem Khan

AI/ML Engineer | Writing on algorithms, data, and AI’s future impact. Passionate about making complex ideas clear for everyone. Let’s build together!