Answers.Body: <p>For a function of one variable, there are only two options for directions in the domain: left or right, so it becomes almost trivial, but you can still talk about gradient descent.</p>
  
  <p>You would take steps to the left if the slope/derivative is positive and make steps to the right if the slope/derivative is negative--i.e. the opposite direction of the derivative (the 1d version of the "gradient" in gradient descent), which is equivalent to the higher dimensional case.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-03-30T21:51:01.007Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2020-03-30T21:51:01.007Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: mach
Answers.Body: <p>"The concept of a direction of fastest descent only makes sense in more than one dimension."</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://math.stackexchange.com/a/180573">https://math.stackexchange.com/a/180573</a></p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-03-30T23:25:52.460Z
Answers.Text: I think this answer is not correct. See the other answer: [https://ai.stackexchange.com/a/19883/2444](https://ai.stackexchange.com/a/19883/2444).
Answers.UserDisplayName: nbro
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2017-07-18T14:36:10.330Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2017-07-18T14:36:10.330Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: David Duffrin
Body: <p>We have always known that gradient descent is a function of two or more variables. But how can we geometrically represent gradient descent if it is a function of only one variable?</p>
  
Tags: <gradient-descent>
Title: How would 1D gradient descent look like?
UserDisplayName: Parul S
ThreadText: # How would 1D gradient descent look like?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2017-07-18)
  
  We have always known that gradient descent is a function of two or more variables. But how can we geometrically represent gradient descent if it is a function of only one variable?
  
  **Tags:** gradient-descent
  
  
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  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2020-03-30. Score: 2
  
  For a function of one variable, there are only two options for directions in the domain: left or right, so it becomes almost trivial, but you can still talk about gradient descent.
  
  You would take steps to the left if the slope/derivative is positive and make steps to the right if the slope/derivative is negative--i.e. the opposite direction of the derivative (the 1d version of the "gradient" in gradient descent), which is equivalent to the higher dimensional case.
  
  
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  ### Answer by username_2 on 2017-07-18. Score: 0
  
  "The concept of a direction of fastest descent only makes sense in more than one dimension."
  
  <https://math.stackexchange.com/a/180573>
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_3**: I think this answer is not correct. See the other answer: [https://ai.stackexchange.com/a/19883/2444](https://ai.stackexchange.com/a/19883/2444).  
  
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