From f860ba2ffb409dc1b7dfab9534ed05cb25692269 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: YurenHao0426 Date: Tue, 9 Jun 2026 21:35:51 -0500 Subject: Organize repo and add AAAI-27 writing plan Root README orients the repo; notes/README reindexed by status (writing pipeline / authoritative note per result / six historical phases with superseded markers); scripts/README gains a status table. Note 40 = reproduction manifest (claim -> command -> outputs -> note; everything unlisted is not citable). Note 41 = the binding paper plan: AAAI-27 constraints (7pp + refs, appendix not guaranteed read), narrative, section/page budget, frozen theorem and figure numbering, related-work list with per-cite rationale, writing rules, weekly schedule to the 07-20/07-27 deadlines, and risk register. Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 --- README.md | 38 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 38 insertions(+) create mode 100644 README.md (limited to 'README.md') diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..171bd24 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,38 @@ +# facap — What Does Random Feedback Cost? + +Theory + experiments quantifying the training cost of **feedback alignment** +(FA: fixed random backward matrices instead of transposed weights) relative to +backpropagation in MLPs. Target venue: **AAAI-27** (abstract 2026-07-20, +paper 2026-07-27). + +## Results in one table + +| claim | headline number | +|---|---| +| static alignment is an exact Beta(1/2,(D-1)/2) law; log-volume cost adds to Theta(Ln^2) | 700k samples, KS p 0.17-0.99; Gamma(L,1) max KS 0.0042 | +| no prior-free feedback initialization beats isotropic (minimax 1/D) | exact theorem + lam_min table | +| initial FA/BP speed gap = hidden-layer BP speed share, exactly, any depth | synthetic 0.4378 vs 0.4403; MNIST diff <= 0.0089 over share 0.39-0.82 | +| one-hidden-layer e0 is exactly Gaussian | KS p 0.13-0.999, real-backward sampler | +| the finite-time gap is a closed-form **soft ramp** — no phase transition | dense T=30000: log-linear R^2 0.993; closed form corr 0.933 matched / 0.982 ensemble; lam_min corr 0.987 | +| a two-snapshot early-velocity estimator predicts the gap with no fit | 256 traj: MAE 0.0019, corr 0.999; stress grid 0.994-0.99989; MNIST MAE 0.0020 (3.9% rel) | +| optimization cost is invariant; test-side effect is task-dependent | teacher task: test gap sign flip (-0.120+/-0.013 at w=32) | + +## Layout + +- `notes/` — project memory. Entry points: `notes/41_paper_plan.md` (plan), + `notes/36_evidence_ledger.md` (numbers), `notes/40_reproduction_manifest.md` + (runs). `notes/README.md` indexes all 41 notes with status. +- `scripts/` — all experiments (python, float64, CPU; deterministic seeds). + `scripts/README.md` has the status table and recipes. +- `outputs/` — gitignored, regenerable. Paper-grade runs are exactly those in + `notes/40_reproduction_manifest.md`; the rest is exploratory history. +- `paper/` — AAAI-27 scaffolding (`main.tex` needs AuthorKit 27; + `preview.tex` compiles standalone via tectonic). `body.tex` is being + rewritten from the evidence ledger. + +## Setup + +```bash +pip install -r requirements.txt # numpy scipy matplotlib torch (+ torchvision for MNIST) +python scripts/real_data_validation.py --self-test # sanity: kernels vs autograd +``` -- cgit v1.2.3