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Original · left

Gradient (slope or color)

An increase or decrease in a property, such as a slope or a color fade.

First in use: the 1800s
Duplicate · right

Gradient descent

The vector of partial derivatives that training follows downhill to reduce loss.

First in use: c. 1847

Gradient / Gradient (slope or color) / Gradient descent

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Duplicate share · 12 mo—
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Colour keyGrey · original meaningGreen · duplicate meaningAmber · contested (40–60%)How colours work

Hills and color fades vs. optimizers.

Which meaning of Gradient is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Gradient (slope or color) came first (the 1800s). Gradient descent arrived in 1847. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Gradient (slope or color)Gradient descent
English Wikipedia pageviews since July 2015 load here.

Duplicate's share of attention

Green line = duplicate's % · above 60 it owns the word · below 40 the original does

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The case for each meaning

Sourced definitions, usage stats and quotes

Original · the 1800s

Gradient (slope or color)

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Duplicate · c. 1847

Gradient descent

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AI & machine learning