Tag Archives: machine learning
Grid Search Explained – Python Sklearn Examples
In this post, you will learn about another machine learning model hyperparameter optimization technique called as Grid Search with the help of Python Sklearn code examples. In one of the earlier posts, you learned about another hyperparamater optimization technique namely validation curve. As a data scientist, it will be useful to learn some of these model tuning techniques (tuning hyperparameters) as it would help us select most appropriate models with most appropriate parameters. The following are some of the topics covered in this post: What & Why of grid search? Grid search with Python Sklearn examples What & Why of Grid Search? Grid Search technique helps in performing exhaustive search over specified parameter (hyper parameters) values for …
Validation Curves Explained – Python Sklearn Example
In this post, you will learn about validation curves with Python Sklearn example. You will learn about how validation curves can help diagnose or assess your machine learning models in relation to underfitting and overfitting. On the similar topic, I recommend you reading one of the previous post on assessing overfitting and underfitting titled Learning curves explained with Python Sklearn example. The following gets covered in this post: Why validation curves? Python Sklearn example for validation curves Why Validation Curves? As like learning curve, the validation curve also helps in diagnozing the model bias vs variance. The validation curve plot helps in selecting most appropriate model parameters (hyper-parameters). Unlike learning …
Logistic Regression Quiz Questions & Answers
In this post, you will learn about Logistic Regression terminologies / glossary with quiz / practice questions. For machine learning Engineers or data scientists wanting to test their understanding of Logistic regression or preparing for interviews, these concepts and related quiz questions and answers will come handy. Here is a related post, 30 Logistic regression interview practice questions I have posted earlier. Here are some of the questions and answers discussed in this post: What are different names / terms used in place of Logistic regression? Define Logistic regression in simple words? Define logistic regression in terms of logit? Define logistic function? What does training a logistic regression model mean? What are different types …
When to use LabelEncoder – Python Example
In this post, you will learn about when to use LabelEncoder. As a data scientist, you must have a clear understanding on when to use LabelEncoder and when to use other encoders such as One-hot Encoder. Using appropriate type of encoders is key part of data preprocessing in machine learning model building lifecycle. Here are some of the scenarios when you could use LabelEncoder without having impact on model. Use LabelEncoder when there are only two possible values of a categorical features. For example, features having value such as yes or no. Or, maybe, gender feature when there are only two possible values including male or female. Use LabelEncoder for …
Sklearn SelectFromModel for Feature Importance
In this post, you will learn about how to use Sklearn SelectFromModel class for reducing the training / test data set to the new dataset which consists of features having feature importance value greater than a specified threshold value. This method is very important when one is using Sklearn pipeline for creating different stages and Sklearn RandomForest implementation (such as RandomForestClassifier) for feature selection. You may refer to this post to check out how RandomForestClassifier can be used for feature importance. The SelectFromModel usage is illustrated using Python code example. SelectFromModel Python Code Example Here are the steps and related python code for using SelectFromModel. Determine the feature importance using …
Sequential Forward Selection – Python Example
In this post, you will learn about one of feature selection techniques namely sequential forward selection with Python code example. Refer to my earlier post on sequential backward selection technique for feature selection. Sequential forward selection algorithm is a part of sequential feature selection algorithms. Some of the following topics will be covered in this post: Introduction to sequential feature selection algorithms Sequential forward selection algorithm Python example using sequential forward selection Introduction to Sequential Feature Selection Sequential feature selection algorithms including sequential forward selection algorithm belongs to the family of greedy search algorithms which are used to reduce an initial d-dimensional feature space to a k-dimensional feature subspace where k < d. …
Sequential Backward Feature Selection – Python Example
In this post, you will learn about a feature selection technique called as Sequential Backward Selection using Python code example. Feature selection is one of the key steps in training the most optimal model in order to achieve higher computational efficiency while training the model, and also reduce the the generalization error of the model by removing irrelevant features or noise. Some of the important feature selection techniques includes L-norm regularization and greedy search algorithms such as sequential forward or backward feature selection, especially for algorithms which don’t support regularization. It is of utmost importance for data scientists to learn these techniques in order to build optimal models. Sequential backward …
Pandas – Append Columns to Dataframe
In this post, you will learn different techniques to append or add one column or multiple columns to Pandas Dataframe (Python). There are different scenarios where this could come very handy. For example, when there are two or more data frames created using different data sources, and you want to select a specific set of columns from different data frames to create one single data frame, the methods given below can be used to append or add one or more columns to create one single data frame. It will be good to know these methods as it helps in data preprocessing stage of building machine learning models. In this post, …
Pandas – Fillna method for replacing missing values
In this post, you will learn about how to use fillna method to replace or impute missing values of one or more feature column with central tendency measures in Pandas Dataframe (Python).The central tendency measures which are used to replace missing values are mean, median and mode. Here is a detailed post on how, what and when of replacing missing values with mean, median or mode. This will be helpful in the data preprocessing stage of building machine learning models. Other technique used for filling missing values is backfill or bfill and forward-fill or ffill. Before going further and learn about fillna method, here is the Pandas sample dataframe we will work with. It represents marks in …
Pandas Dataframe vs Numpy Array: What to Use?
In this post, you will learn about which data structure to use between Pandas Dataframe and Numpy Array when working with Scikit Learn libraries. As a data scientist, it is very important to understand the difference between Numpy array and Pandas Dataframe and when to use which data structure. Here are some facts: Scikit learn was originally developed to work well with Numpy array Numpy Ndarray provides a lot of convenient and optimized methods for performing several mathematical operations on vectors. Numpy array can be instantiated using the following manner: np.array([4, 5, 6]) Pandas Dataframe is an in-memory 2-dimensional tabular representation of data. In simpler words, it can be seen …
Visualize Decision Tree with Python Sklearn Library
In this post, you will learn about different techniques you can use to visualize decision tree (a machine learning algorithm) using Python Sklearn (Scikit-Learn) library. The python code example would use Sklearn IRIS dataset (classification) for illustration purpose. The decision tree visualization would help you to understand the model in a better manner. The following are two different techniques which can be used for creating decision tree visualisation: Sklearn tree class (plot_tree method) Graphviz library Sklearn Tree Class for Visualization In this section, you will see the code sample for creating decision tree visualization using Sklearn Tree method plot_tree method. Sklearn IRIS dataset is used for training the model. Here is …
Decision Tree Classifier Python Code Example
In this post, you will learn about how to train a decision tree classifier machine learning model using Python. The following points will be covered in this post: What is decision tree? Decision tree python code sample What is Decision Tree? Simply speaking, the decision tree algorithm breaks the data points into decision nodes resulting in a tree structure. The decision nodes represent the question based on which the data is split further into two or more child nodes. The tree is created until the data points at a specific child node is pure (all data belongs to one class). The criteria for creating the most optimal decision questions is …
How to Convert Sklearn Dataset to Dataframe
In this post, you will learn how to convert Sklearn.datasets to Pandas Dataframe. It will be useful to know this technique (code example) if you are comfortable working with Pandas Dataframe. You will be able to perform several operations faster with the dataframe. Sklearn datasets class comprises of several different types of datasets including some of the following: Iris Breast cancer Diabetes Boston Linnerud Images The code sample below is demonstrated with IRIS data set. Before looking into the code sample, recall that IRIS dataset when loaded has data in form of “data” and labels present as “target”. Executing the above code will print the following dataframe. In case, you don’t want to explicitly assign …
Machine Learning – SVM Kernel Trick Example
In this post, you will learn about what are kernel methods, kernel trick, and kernel functions when referred with a Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm. A good understanding of kernel functions in relation to the SVM machine learning (ML) algorithm will help you build/train the most optimal ML model by using the appropriate kernel functions. There are out-of-box kernel functions such as some of the following which can be applied for training models using the SVM algorithm: Polynomial kernel Gaussian kernel Radial basis function (RBF) kernel Sigmoid kernel The following topics will be covered: Background – Why Kernel concept? What is a kernel method? What is the kernel trick? What are …
Sklearn SVM Classifier using LibSVM – Code Example
In this post, you learn about Sklearn LibSVM implementation used for training an SVM classifier, with code example. Here is a great guide for learning SVM classification, especially, for beginners in the field of data science/machine learning. LIBSVM is a library for Support Vector Machines (SVM) which provides an implementation for the following: C-SVC (Support Vector Classification) nu-SVC epsilon-SVR (Support Vector Regression) nu-SVR Distribution estimation (one-class SVM) In this post, you will see code examples in relation to C-SVC, and nu-SVC LIBSVM implementations. I will follow up with code examples for SVR and distribution estimation in future posts. Here are the links to their SKLearn pages for C-SVC and nu-SVC …
SVM – Understanding C Value with Code Examples
In this post, we will understand the importance of C value on the SVM soft margin classifier overall accuracy using code samples. In the previous post titled as SVM as Soft Margin Classifier and C Value, the concepts around SVM soft margin classifier and the importance of C value was explained. If you are not sure about the concepts, I would recommend reading earlier article. Lets take a look at the code used for building SVM soft margin classifier with C value. The code example uses the SKLearn IRIS dataset In the above code example, take a note of the value of C = 0.01. The model accuracy came out to …
I found it very helpful. However the differences are not too understandable for me