science

Readgeek

Readgeek is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Readgeek rather than just read about it. In short: Readgeek is an online book recommendations engine and social cataloging service launched in December 2010. The website allows users to search for books matching their individual taste making use of several algorithms.

Key takeaways

Readgeek belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Readgeek to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Readgeek from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Readgeek is an online book recommendations engine and social cataloging service launched in December 2010. The website allows users to search for books matching their individual taste making use of several algorithms. Taking ratings and metadata of prior read books into account, those algorithms help the site to learn about a users preferences. The service suggests books other users with similar tastes have enjoyed, rather than offering up books similar to the ones a user already ranked. It is the first of its kind to give users a prediction of how much they will like almost any book. Users can also create reading lists, book discussions and follow the activities of other users. The company was invited in 2016 by the Dutch General Publishers Association to a worldwide innovation-competition for startups in the publishing industry. The company's offices are in Berlin, Germany.

See also Library 2.0 is the concept behind Readgeek from a users perspective Collaborative filtering and Item-item collaborative filtering explain some background about the used algorithms

Notes

External links Official website

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Readgeek

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Readgeek claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Readgeek before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Readgeek ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Readgeek

In research: Readgeek appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Readgeek in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Readgeek is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Book review websites, Book websites, Companies based in Berlin, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Readgeek outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Readgeek in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Readgeek means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Readgeek out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Readgeek in simple terms?

Why does Readgeek matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Readgeek?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Readgeek.