LESSON 1.8 · Assessment · 180 min
Mastery Gate 1: rewrite micrograd closed-book
Mastery Gate 1: rewrite micrograd closed-book. Learn the minimal automatic-differentiation kernel from scratch and complete: Implement, explain, and verify micrograd under time con
Learning objectives
- Explain what problem “Mastery Gate 1: rewrite micrograd closed-book” solves without hiding behind terminology.
- Trace the variables and causal links across the minimal automatic-differentiation kernel from scratch.
- Complete “Implement, explain, and verify micrograd under time constraints” and judge the result with evidence rather than intuition.
Core concepts
the minimal automatic-differentiation kernel from scratch
the minimal automatic-differentiation kernel from scratch is part of the lesson’s causal model. State its inputs, outputs, invariants, and failure mode; then verify it with a hand-check or a minimal experiment before moving to an optimized implementation.
Build and verify
Implement, explain, and verify micrograd under time constraints
- Predict: write the expected output, trend, or failure before running code.
- Build: implement only the minimum components needed to answer the question.
- Verify: compare with a baseline or trusted implementation; save seeds, parameters, and raw outputs.
- Transfer: change one shape, dataset, scale, or workload condition and explain whether the conclusion still holds.