Orthogonality and Projection

coptic, french dembow

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Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Picture shadows dancing on the wall
When sunlight hits at angle's call
Your vector casts its ghostly twin
Upon the space it's landing in
The projection shows what can be caught
While perpendicular parts are lost

[Chorus]
Vector dot vector over vector dot itself
Times the vector makes the shadow's stealth
Projection equals closest point you'll find
Orthogonal parts get left behind
V equals projection plus V-perp
Shadow plus the leftover reserves

[Verse 2]
Any basis set can be refined
Through Gram-Schmidt's algorithmic mind
Take each vector, subtract away
All projections from the previous day
Normalize to unit length
Build orthonormal strength

[Chorus]
Vector dot vector over vector dot itself
Times the vector makes the shadow's stealth
Projection equals closest point you'll find
Orthogonal parts get left behind
V equals projection plus V-perp
Shadow plus the leftover reserves

[Bridge]
When data points scatter wild and free
Linear regression holds the key
Project onto the line that fits
Minimize the error's twists
Least squares makes the residuals dance
Perpendicular to your best chance

[Verse 3]
Subspace W becomes your stage
Vector V performs with sage
Proj-W-V approximates best
While V-perpendicular protests
This decomposition theorem shows
How every vector's story goes

[Chorus]
Vector dot vector over vector dot itself
Times the vector makes the shadow's stealth
Projection equals closest point you'll find
Orthogonal parts get left behind
V equals projection plus V-perp
Shadow plus the leftover reserves

[Outro]
Shadows tell us what we can retain
Errors whisper what we can't explain
Orthogonal decomposition's art
Splits every vector's beating heart

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