An inverse problem is a general framework that is used to convert observed measurements into information about a physical object or system that we are interested in. For example, if we have measurements of the Earth's gravity field, then we might ask the question: "given the data that we have available, what can we say about the density distribution of the Earth in that area?" The solution to this problem (i.e. the density distribution that best matches the data) is useful because it generally tells us something about a physical parameter that we cannot directly observe. Thus, inverse problems are some of the most important and well-studied mathematical problems in science and mathematics. Inverse problems arise in many branches of science and mathematics, including computer vision, natural language processing, machine learning, statistics, statistical inference, geophysics, medical imaging (such as computed axial tomography and EEG/ERP), remote sensing, ocean acoustic tomography, nondestructive testing, astronomy, physics and many other fields.
Read more about Inverse Problem: History, Conceptual Understanding, General Statement of The Problem, Linear Inverse Problems, Non-linear Inverse Problems, Mathematical Considerations, Inverse Problems Societies
Famous quotes containing the words inverse and/or problem:
“Yet time and space are but inverse measures of the force of the soul. The spirit sports with time.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“We have heard all of our lives how, after the Civil War was over, the South went back to straighten itself out and make a living again. It was for many years a voiceless part of the government. The balance of power moved away from it—to the north and the east. The problems of the north and the east became the big problem of the country and nobody paid much attention to the economic unbalance the South had left as its only choice.”
—Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908–1973)