Support Vector Machines: A Visual Explanation with Sample Python Code

SVMs are a popular classification technique used in data science and machine learning.
In this video, I walk through how support vector machines work in a visual way, and then go step by step through how to write a Python script to use SVMs to classify muffin and cupcake recipes.
In Part 1a, I visually define the following terms:
- Margin
- Support vectors
- Hyperplane
In Part 1b, I go through the following steps in a Jupyter Notebook:
- Import libraries (pandas, numpy, sklearn, matplotlib)
- Import data
- Prepare the data
- Fit the model
- Visualize results
- Predict a new case
In Part 2, I talk about ways to tune the model:
- Higher dimensions
- Multiple classes
- C parameter
- Kernel trick (RBF with gamma)
In Part 3, I talk about the pros and cons of SVM.
You can find all of my code and data on Github: github.com/adashofdata

[@siddharthsoni1862]

What a badass way to win an argument.

[@GAment_11]

Sometimes I think when sitting in class, "I must just not be that smart and these concepts are just too intense to comprehend". And then youtubers, such as yourself, make me feel much better about the same topic, in less time than sitting in class. Thanks so much for taking the time to make videos such as this to help students around the world. This stuff is so cool when it makes sense!

[@jimwest63]

The first three minutes of this video helped me develop a clearer understanding of SVMs than numerous previous attempts, making clear just how simple the underlying idea is, and immediately clarifying the jargon straight up front by mapping to simple 2D language. Anyone that can provide such a simple and mentally sticky image where many others have tried and failed has got to be worth subscribing to. Really well done. I can't wait to watch your other stuff.

[@timharris72]

That was the best tutorial I have seen on SVMs. Impressive. The slides were very well done and the explanation was simple. It's nice to see an tutorial without the math. When you start to explain the math it gets very complicated and it is easy to get lost.

[@ADashofData]

Thank you!

[@chowpal9810]

Yes I agree~ best tutorial ever, hope I could see more tutorials. Thank you Alice

[@Lets_MakeItSimple]

I completely agree with Tim here.

[@trishaz7056]

Totally agree!!!

[@rachittsharmaaa]

@@ADashofData how to use examples avaliable in libsvm??

[@vincentdepassier3003]

you just saved me, I was trying to understand SVM the whole day and now I get it, your explanations and examples are great

[@hadjdaoudmomo9534]

Your explanation is just the best, simple and clear; please make more tutorials and cover other topics, and thank you so much

[@reazahmed1191]

This is the best tutorial I have ever watched on SVM. She explained everything in a simple way. It was very easy for me to understand SVM. Thanks, Alice!

[@cbrtdgh4210]

This video is one of the best ML videos I've ever seen! I love how it all started with a random curiosity about classifying muffins and cupcakes, then you show us step-by-step how you actually solved this problem. Thanks so much for this tutorial.

[@eranozsarfati7970]

one of the best lectures I've listened to regarding SVMs.

[@martinrussell1404]

Just blew my mind, I've been normalizing data since I started my online data science bootcamp, but haven't really understood the concept, the first 5 minutes of your video was one of those shining light moments! Thank you Alice.

[@johndeorian6654]

Best one I've found so far. The trick was showing me the other "roads" so I could see why they weren't best. Thanks for the resource!

[@sandeepahuja1023]

Probably THE simplest way of explaining SVM..I'm glad that I stumbled upon your tutorial..thank you!

[@vp4744]

Very nicely done Alice. Wish you could do more.

[@amar1190]

I tried books, udemy and other youtube videos, but this was by far the best explanation of SVM. Thank you

[@hailothanks523]

For sure, the best SVM tutorial on KZbin!!! Thank you so much

[@SlavOK400]

Best explanation of SVM I've seen so far. Great job Alice!

[@philipabraham5600]

Best intuitive tutorial I have seen yet on SVMs. Thank you for this.

[@DunedinNZ09]

Thank you, Alice. This is by far the best SVM tutorial out there!

[@xZzzit]

Honestly, the best video explanation I have seen so far on SVM.

[@utsavmehta33]

One of the best tutorials that can be found online! Really awesome analogies with the real world. It was awesome and very helpful. Thanks!

[@dropfiremusic4752]

Awesome! It is a tutorial I have always wanted to watch: something that explains the workflow from scratch! Thank you!

[@juanignaciotorres2714]

One of the best explanations I've seen about SVMs! No doubt about it!! Thank you very much!

[@tkannab1]

Genius! best SVM video I've seen so far! Being able to explain complex concepts with such simplicity is a RARE skill. We need more people like you

[@AvinashReddy21]

Alice you have the natural talent to teach, very impressive. I am waiting for your next video !

[@1973tmpk]

same here. such a talent. hard to wait for more from her....

[@sid007ashish]

Nice tutorial, my first one to understand SVM and I think it did a good job of keeping it the right amount of depth while covering the entire topic

[@asimsultan8191]

Points that I cont understand for months, this tutorial taught me -> Widest ROAD. Thank you

[@dreamphoenix]

This is one of the best programming/ data science tutorials I've ever seen. You're a natural teacher. I see you haven't made any videos in some time, but if you ever start teaching again know that you're changing lives!! For instance mine :)

[@shekharkumar1902]

Cup cakes to SVM depth. Amazingly genius idea . Thanks for explaining it so clear!

[@pritishthapa2688]

This is i guess the best explaination for SVM ... thanks alot from INDIA 🇮🇳

[@ridewitharko]

I'm new to data science and machine learning. Was looking for simple explanation covering all the basic aspect and i found this great presentation. Thank you so much !!!

[@technoreviews8415]

Really its is the best tutorials on SVMs. Brief and sequential with focus on application oriented learning. Great.

[@vivianacoccomariani9832]

Positive points Alice commented about 2 classes and also multiple classes. Explanation about 2D, 3D and more dimensions data were very well done. Great explanation, thank you for sharing with us.

[@user-nd1hp3wg6d]

Your video is still actual, even in 2021! Thank you a lot. I would be happy to see your videos about other methods!

[@cognitive-surplus]

This is the best tutorial on SVM that I have come across. Thanks a lot for making this!

[@garrettosborne4364]

I didn't understand SVM's before this. Now I do. Thank you.

[@mikez4999]

This is the best description of SVMs....so simple

[@mushfiqurrahman5455]

This is the best svm tutorial so far on youtube

[@sushantdhakal3117]

teaching is an art and you have mastered it .

[@pratikkinger391]

THE BEST TUTORIAL ON SVM!!! Really appreciate it.

[@hemantwani4757]

truely the best way... explaining SVM

[@hrishabhsingh5647]

My each and every Question is Answered !!! Best video on SVM on KZbin!!

[@archimedesspiral]

Thank you for providing the clarity on SVM

[@shubh13272anand]

There it goes. The best video available on internet for Support vector Machines. Thanks a lot Alice.

[@miamamia354]

This is amazing. Best way to explain SVM ever. Thank you so much. Hope you could come up with more tutorials like this!!!

[@mohamedouammou429]

That was the best tutorial I have seen on SVMs, thank you

[@elaineresende3923]

Great explanation! Thank you for sharing!

[@TH-fe1vs]

very helpful for me. at first I am lost with SVM, with your tutorial, I understand it much better and with that example. thanks Ms Alice Zhao.

[@maxmacken8859]

Wow this is tbe best tutorial on SVM I've seen. You are very clear!

[@NxtGenTech]

Best tutorial for SVM as per now what I saw other youtube videos on SVM. It includes the best way of representation using actual code and doing analysis. Keep It up.

[@rustyjeanz]

Excellent Slides + presentation + content + explanation. Overall A+ video. God Bless you

[@michaelcao9483]

you're so good at explaining in laymen terms! thanks so much Alice

[@ishantperiwal7798]

The best tutorial! You deserve all the praise in the world.. People might be experts in this field but for us students you're a hero the lifesaver.. Thanq :')

[@hanjiang1106]

Best video about SVM. Thank you!!!

[@Emfanever]

The best presentation on SVM

[@kashgarinn]

Wonderful tutorial, love the examples and visualisation!

[@amirsohel9814]

i am a student in the field of CSE, and took some machine learning classes, but this... Just WOOWW!

[@yangfarhana3660]

You are so good at simplifying the concepts!

[@dennishuang3498]

Great job! Convey the idea precisely through a simple and neat way.

[@alifeleparanj3688]

this is amazing the best and clear video one can find on the internet

[@thusharafernando4255]

this was the best tutorial i saw on SVM. Thank you very much.

[@paulovinicius5833]

This video is excelent! No flaws. What a great explanation! Congrats!

[@dumdumwill]

Great work Alice. Definitely staying away from all the vector mumbo jumbo, and having practical examples makes this invaluable :) Keep it up, thanks

[@saharkhodabakhshi8939]

Great job. It is one of the best tutorials I have ever watched on youtube. Thank you

[@TheWillWang]

Best ever tutorial, keep making new ones on machine learning as intuitive as this, thanks

[@ashbabeakl]

Thank you Alice!! This really is the best SVM tutorial !

[@s4m130]

Great video showing SVM and python implementation

[@greatCany]

Very nice explanation. Simple, real-world examples. Awesome!

[@hassaneshkiki941]

Thank you for your clear explanation.

[@prashantnegi1828]

So easy explaination. Best video on SVM

[@meowmeong6081]

Forever grateful for this. I'm glad you decided to make this video. It helps me a lot. You could make this simple. Thank youu...

[@ADashofData]

You're welcome! Glad it helped.

[@miniworlds]

I don't have any data science background. Your video helps me understanding unfamiliar concepts! THANK YOU!!!! P.S. I would like to suggest you to speak louder. I sometimes do not hear it very well.

[@maroonvillage1946]

Great presentation. I gained a lot more intuition on SVMs. Thanks!

[@piyushakushwaha]

The explanation was so intelligently beautiful that I want to have muffins and cupcakes both. Thank you Alice

[@cagataycetinkol7730]

Excellent tutorial, so explantory and fluent

[@bsrinivas2510]

After this video , clearly understood the SVM Classifier .Thanks a lot

[@phungdao9184]

But can you do the coding of SVM from scratch?

[@johndm1968]

You have a fantastic teaching style. I really enjoyed this video!

[@fluidairs7853]

Concise, and informative. Well done Alice. Awaiting more videos from you.

[@utkarshjain8024]

I bought a course on ML and had to resort to youtube to understand SVM since they got very technical. This is by far the best explanation I have seen!

[@Akshay-cj3hq]

I bet im from the same course. Is it the machine learning A-Z course on udemy?

[@Vikash07857]

When food comes as an Example, Everything i'll understand!!

[@SoujanyaMadabhushi]

This is such a great explanation of SVM. Simple and easy! Disappointed though that you have not done videos on other ML algos. Hope you are planning to put together more such content on your channel. Looking forward! Thank you so much for making it easy to understand :)

[@PlanetQ1]

Thanks Alice for a great tutorial. Very well explained. Simple and yet thorough without the jargon. Well done. Hope you can do more.

[@abdrahimothman2704]

Very useful and ease to understand the SVM concept

[@ShahabHelmi]

That was a great tutorial! had all the necessary information without going into too much details!

[@HarshalDev]

Amazin tutorial . Was exactly looking for this . bookmarked this in my ML playlist and will also share it with someone who would wish to learn SVM !

[@anandachetanelikapati6388]

Excellent presentation in no time. Thank you very much.

[@LeilaRmaths]

Impressive! it is the best tutorial I have seen on SVMs. The slides are very well done and the explanation was simple. Thank you

[@anmjubaer]

That's really great work. That means a lot to people like me who are very new to ML. Thanks.

[@Iamiroquai]

Thanks Alice, very well-told an introduction to SVM, It strongly clarifies the subject :)

[@romyli5159]

This is a wonderful video for understanding SVM. Really easy to follow and learn. Great thanks!

[@davidjamriska7299]

Good video, straight forward and like how you broke the code up into pieces.

[@mrunmayeejog5413]

Awesome example! This has really helped me understand SVMs!

[@Arjit_IITH]

Very well explained. When things are hard to understand, then graphic elements play a crucial role. Upload more please.

[@TenderBug]

Great video. Not enough words to Thank you for this amazing explanation.

[@garyng3515]

Very good presentation. Clear and concise with good examples. Thank you!

[@vuongkhaikiet2264]

Love your presentation, making it easy for understand SVM.

[@Alan-rx7sc]

Amazingly clear and informative video. Many thanks.

[@joaocorreia4186]

Excellent video, really that is the best SVM tutorial. Thank you so much.

[@billwindsor4224]

@Alice Zhao - excellent job on this; you present both visual conceptualizations *and* careful code explanations for SVM -- all very informative and impressive. *Thank you!*

[@farazathar5911]

Great Video! Thanks for explaining it that much clearly

[@jaihonikhil]

wow. this is best video seen so far and I understood the topic very well