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opological data analysis (TDA), while abstract, allows a characterization of time-series data obtained from nonlinear and complex dynamical systems. Though it is surprising that such an abstract measure of structure—counting pieces and holes—could be useful for real-world data, TDA lets us compare different systems, and even do membership testing or change-point detection. However, TDA is computationally expensive and involves a number of free parameters. This complexity can be obviated by coarse-graining, using a construct called the witness complex. The parametric dependence gives rise to the concept of persistent homology: how shape changes with scale. Its results allow us to distinguish time-series data from different systems—e.g., the same note played on different musical instruments.
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Connecting the Dots: Discovering the “Shape” of Data
Scientists use a mathematical subject called topology to study the shapes of objects. An important part of topology is counting the number of pieces and the number of holes in an object, and researchers use this information to group objects into different types. For example, a doughnut has the same number of holes and the same number of pieces as a teacup with one handle, but it is different from a ball. In studies that resemble activities like “connect-the-dots,” scientists use ideas from topology to study the “shape” of data. Ideas and methods from topology have been used to study the branching structures of veins in leaves, voting in elections, flight patterns in models of bird flocking, and more.
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- PAR ID:
- 10251495
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Frontiers for Young Minds
- Volume:
- 9
- ISSN:
- 2296-6846
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2021.551557
