Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Using Neural Networks To Classify Discrete Circular Probability Distributions, Madelyn Gaumer

HMC Senior Theses

Given the rise in the application of neural networks to all sorts of interesting problems, it seems natural to apply them to statistical tests. This senior thesis studies whether neural networks built to classify discrete circular probability distributions can outperform a class of well-known statistical tests for uniformity for discrete circular data that includes the Rayleigh Test¹, the Watson Test², and the Ajne Test³. Each neural network used is relatively small with no more than 3 layers: an input layer taking in discrete data sets on a circle, a hidden layer, and an output …

Snap Scholar: The User Experience Of Engaging With Academic Research Through A Tappable Stories Medium, Ieva Burk

CMC Senior Theses

With the shift to learn and consume information through our mobile devices, most academic research is still only presented in long-form text. The Stanford Scholar Initiative has explored the segment of content creation and consumption of academic research through video. However, there has been another popular shift in presenting information from various social media platforms and media outlets in the past few years. Snapchat and Instagram have introduced the concept of tappable “Stories” that have gained popularity in the realm of content consumption.

To accelerate the growth of the creation of these research talks, I propose an alternative to video: …

Studying Geometric Optical Illusions Through The Lens Of A Convolutional Neural Network, Nick Laberge

CMC Senior Theses

Geometrical optical illusions such as the Muller Lyer illusion and the Ponzo illusion have been widely researched over the past 100+ years, yet researchers have not reached a consensus on why human perception is deceived by these illusions or which illusions are the results of the same effects. In this paper, I study these illusions through the lens of a convolutional neural network. First, I successfully train the network to correctly classify how a human would perceive a particular class of illusion (such as the Muller Lyer illusion), then I test the network’s ability to generalize to illusions that it …