Why does FM sound better than AM?
The original form of radio broadcast was amplitude modulation (AM). With AM radio, the changes in the amplitude of the carrier wave carries the signal you want to broadcast. Frequency modulation (FM) came later. With FM radio, changes to the frequency of the carrier wave carry the signal. I go
Read moreShifted reciprocal
It’s interesting to visualize functions of a complex variable, even very simple functions like f(z) = 1/z. The previous post looked at what happens to triangles under the reciprocal map w = 1/z. This post will look at the same map applied to a polar grid, then look at the
Read moreTriangles to Triangles
The set of functions of the form f(z) = (az + b)/(cz + d) with ad ≠ bc are called bilinear transformations or Möbius transformations. These functions have three degrees of freedom—there are four parameters, but multiplying all parameters by a constant defines the same function—and so you can uniquely
Read moreIs this the real life? Training autonomous cars with simulations
Ben Popper interviews Vladislav Voroninski, CEO of Helm.ai, about unsupervised learning and the future of AI in autonomous driving. They discuss GenAI’s role in bridging the gap between simulation and reality, the challenges of scaling autonomous driving systems, the commercial potential of partial autonomy, and why software is emerging as
Read moreGolden ellipse
A golden ellipse is an ellipse whose axes are in golden proportion. That is, the ratio of the major axis length to the minor axis length is the golden ratio φ = (1 + √5)/2. Draw a golden ellipse and its inscribed and circumscribed circles. In other words draw the
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