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by 1971genocide 3859 days ago
Took a entire module on Bayesian Method in University.

Failed it.

Gave the exam a second time - this time I spent the whole summer studying it - failed it again :(

At this point I think bayesian methods is one of those things like Monads - you either understand it or you never will.

Hopefully there is someone out there who finally writes a good book to explain it to the masses of simpler minds.

3 comments

> At this point I think bayesian methods is one of those things like Monads - you either understand it or you never will.

Add organic chemistry to that list. I can write a program from scratch that will accurately simulate how two organic molecules react using density functional theory, but I'll be darned if I ever understand those little diagrams and arrows.

When I encounter complex subjects like Bayes, I tend to turn to Kalid to see if he has a way of trying to internalize an intuitive understanding of the subject.

http://betterexplained.com/articles/an-intuitive-and-short-e...

Now, this might be too simplified compared to what you were being tested on given you did a whole module on it, but hopefully it helps.

Yeah, Bayes, Monads, and Types: things that every programmer uses "intuitively" but for some reason end up being difficult to grasp when explicitly formalized. At least speaking for myself. You're not alone. Hopefully it will get better for the both of us.