Am I the only one who found easier and intuitive the abstract definition but much harder to follow the mathematical explanation? I immediately thought on branching conditions mapped to a function table (like a knowledge database table with pattern matching and related to a functions table).
I understand the higher value here is the Gaussian distribution and how to find or create a distribution that fits real world complex problems, which would become severely complicated to implement, analyse or visualize with classic code writing.
P.S. I am speaking form an IT Engineer point of view, the years I studied math fall more than a decade ago...
I'd like to point out that the mathematical/formal statements are the result of loooong researches. That is, the one who stated them most probably had a real life problem first. Then multiple other ones. Then he built up an understanding of those problem and some kind of intuitions. Then he gathered all of that in a nice formula.
When we learn that formula (sometimes) we go the other way around : we see the formula, the maths, the forma stuff and then we try to understand its consequences and see how it fits reality.
To me that's a much harder process...
Basically : when I see a bridge, I can't figure out how it was built, or why.
I understand the higher value here is the Gaussian distribution and how to find or create a distribution that fits real world complex problems, which would become severely complicated to implement, analyse or visualize with classic code writing.
P.S. I am speaking form an IT Engineer point of view, the years I studied math fall more than a decade ago...