Evaluating Hypotheses

CSC 261 - Artificial Intelligence - Weinman



Answer the following questions. Record your answers in your Reading Journal.
  1. Sections 18.2 (p. 697) and 18.4.2 give two very different methods for choosing a hypothesis h*=.... 1 In your own words, briefly (3-5 sentences) describe the difference(s) between the underlying motivation of these two methods.
  2. Imagine you are designing an automated system that is learning an estimated best hypothesis ĥ* to break CAPTCHA texts.2
    1. Which of the four reasons for differing from the true function do you think would be most problematic? Briefly (3-5 sentences) explain your answer.
    2. Which of the four reasons for differing from the true function do you think would be least problematic? Briefly (3-5 sentences) explain your answer.

Footnotes:

1Sadly, neither of the two equations are numbered. Let us learn from this shortcoming that one should not choose for your reader which equations are important enough to warrant reference. Always number your equations! (A point David Mermin calls Fisher's rule in "What's Wrong with These Equations?" (Physics Today, October 1989, pp. 9-11).
2See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captcha.