Dimensionless machine learning: Imposing exact units equivariance
Not on the map. Why?
Abstract (arXiv)
Units equivariance (or units covariance) is the exact symmetry that follows from the requirement that relationships among measured quantities of physics relevance must obey self-consistent dimensional scalings. Here, we express this symmetry in terms of a (non-compact) group action, and we employ dimensional analysis and ideas from equivariant machine learning to provide a methodology for exactly units-equivariant machine learning: For any given learning task, we first construct a dimensionless version of its inputs using classic results from dimensional analysis, and then perform inference in the dimensionless space. Our approach can be used to impose units equivariance across a broad range of machine learning methods which are equivariant to rotations and other groups. We discuss the in-sample and out-of-sample prediction accuracy gains one can obtain in contexts like symbolic regression and emulation, where symmetry is important. We illustrate our approach with simple numerical examples involving dynamical systems in physics and ecology.
Key facts. Cited by 16 papers in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Builds on 52 of its 95 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 2 Apr 2022.
Builds on
52 of 95 references.
References · 52
- 2018How Powerful are Graph Neural Networks?cited by 4,355
- 2017Neural Message Passing for Quantum Chemistrycited by 3,460
- 2019RandAugment: Practical automated data augmentation with a reduced search spacecited by 2,261
- 2016Group Equivariant Convolutional Networkscited by 1,154
- 2018Weisfeiler and Leman Go Neural: Higher-order Graph Neural Networkscited by 878
- 2017Learning to Generalize: Meta-Learning for Domain Generalizationcited by 762
- 2015Convolutional Networks on Graphs for Learning Molecular Fingerprintscited by 751
- 2018Tensor field networks: Rotation- and translation-equivariant neural networks for 3D point cloudscited by 735
- 2018AutoAugment: Learning Augmentation Policies from Datacited by 728
- 2019Hamiltonian Neural Networkscited by 702
- 2021E(3)-Equivariant Graph Neural Networks for Data-Efficient and Accurate Interatomic Potentialscited by 701
- 2020SE(3)-Transformers: 3D Roto-Translation Equivariant Attention Networkscited by 602
38 more
- 2019AI Feynman: a Physics-Inspired Method for Symbolic Regressioncited by 536
- 2019Surprises in High-Dimensional Ridgeless Least Squares Interpolationcited by 508
- 2019General E(2)-Equivariant Steerable CNNscited by 441
- 20183D Steerable CNNs: Learning Rotationally Equivariant Features in Volumetric Datacited by 348
- 2018Invariant and Equivariant Graph Networkscited by 339
- 2020Discovering Symbolic Models from Deep Learning with Inductive Biasescited by 335
- 2016Steerable CNNscited by 298
- 2020Can Graph Neural Networks Count Substructures?cited by 235
- 2019Towards Physics-informed Deep Learning for Turbulent Flow Predictioncited by 203
- 2021A Practical Method for Constructing Equivariant Multilayer Perceptrons for Arbitrary Matrix Groupscited by 185
- 2019On the equivalence between graph isomorphism testing and function approximation with GNNscited by 172
- 2021Scalars are universal: Equivariant machine learning, structured like classical physicscited by 127
- 2020Incorporating Symmetry into Deep Dynamics Models for Improved Generalizationcited by 123
- 2019Hamiltonian Graph Networks with ODE Integratorscited by 107
- 2018A Kernel Theory of Modern Data Augmentationcited by 106
- 2021Provably Strict Generalisation Benefit for Equivariant Modelscited by 90
- 2021Learning with invariances in random features and kernel modelscited by 89
- 2022MetaShift: A Dataset of Datasets for Evaluating Contextual Distribution Shifts and Training Conflictscited by 81
- 2016Understanding data augmentation for classification: when to warp?cited by 74
- 2020Graphs, Convolutions, and Neural Networks: From Graph Filters to Graph Neural Networkscited by 73
- 2020On the Value of Target Data in Transfer Learningcited by 62
- 2021Out of Distribution Generalization in Machine Learningcited by 59
- 2020Certified Robustness of Graph Neural Networks against Adversarial Structural Perturbationcited by 57
- 2020Learning Invariances in Neural Networkscited by 52
- 2022A Short Tutorial on The Weisfeiler-Lehman Test And Its Variantscited by 52
- 2018N-body Networks: a Covariant Hierarchical Neural Network Architecture for Learning Atomic Potentialscited by 42
- 2018Learning to Predict the Cosmological Structure Formationcited by 38
- 2021Provably Strict Generalisation Benefit for Invariance in Kernel Methodscited by 29
- 2022Dimensionally Consistent Learning with Buckingham Picited by 20
- 2022Data Augmentation as Feature Manipulationcited by 18
- 2021On the Parameter Combinations That Matter and on Those That do Notcited by 12
- 2021Towards a theory of out-of-distribution learningcited by 11
- 2020Multi-Objective Molecule Generation using Interpretable Substructurescited by 9
- 2018A volumetric deep Convolutional Neural Network for simulation of mock dark matter halo cataloguescited by 7
- 2019Painting with baryons: augmenting N-body simulations with gas using deep generative modelscited by 7
- 2021A simple equivariant machine learning method for dynamics based on scalarscited by 6
- 2021Invariance, encodings, and generalization: learning identity effects with neural networkscited by 5
- 2017Data-driven dimensional analysis: algorithms for unique and relevant dimensionless groupscited by 4
50 most cited of 52 All 52 (JSON)
Built on by
Citing papers per year: 2022: 1; 2023: 8; 2024: 3; 2025: 1; 2026: 3.
16 papers.
Sort:
By area:
- 2024Lie Algebra Canonicalization: Equivariant Neural Operators under arbitrary Lie Groupscited by 23
- 2023Automated Scientific Discovery: From Equation Discovery to Autonomous Discovery Systemscited by 18
- 2023Approximately Equivariant Graph Networkscited by 16
- 2022Machine learning and invariant theorycited by 13
- 2023Towards fully covariant machine learningcited by 10
- 2023Any-dimensional equivariant neural networkscited by 8
- 2023SymmPI: Predictive Inference for Data with Group Symmetriescited by 8
- 2023AI for Science: An Emerging Agendacited by 5
- 2023Explainable Deep Learning for Tumor Dynamic Modeling and Overall Survival Prediction using Neural-ODEcited by 5
- 2024Is machine learning good or bad for the natural sciences?cited by 4
- 2024Tensor learning with orthogonal, Lorentz, and symplectic symmetriescited by 3
- 2025Improving Controller Generalization with Dimensionless Markov Decision Processescited by 2
4 more
- 2023Machine Learning for the identification of phase-transitions in interacting agent-based systems: a Desai-Zwanzig examplecited by 0
- 2026Teaching Vision-Language Models to Use the Scale They Are Given: Label-Free Equivariance Training for Metric Physical Reasoningcited by 0
- 2026Dimensionally consistent surrogate modelling through dimensional analysis and harmonic expansionscited by 0
- 2026Warm-starting PDE solvers with any-dimensional machine learningcited by 0
- 2026Warm-starting PDE solvers with any-dimensional machine learning30 Sep 2026
- 2026Dimensionally consistent surrogate modelling through dimensional analysis and harmonic expansions29 Sep 2026
- 2026Teaching Vision-Language Models to Use the Scale They Are Given: Label-Free Equivariance Training for Metric Physical Reasoning1 Sep 2026
- 2025Improving Controller Generalization with Dimensionless Markov Decision Processes14 Apr 2025
- 2024Lie Algebra Canonicalization: Equivariant Neural Operators under arbitrary Lie Groups3 Oct 2024
- 2024Tensor learning with orthogonal, Lorentz, and symplectic symmetries3 Jun 2024
- 2024Is machine learning good or bad for the natural sciences?28 May 2024
- 2023SymmPI: Predictive Inference for Data with Group Symmetries26 Dec 2023
- 2023Machine Learning for the identification of phase-transitions in interacting agent-based systems: a Desai-Zwanzig example29 Oct 2023
- 2023Approximately Equivariant Graph Networks21 Aug 2023
- 2023Explainable Deep Learning for Tumor Dynamic Modeling and Overall Survival Prediction using Neural-ODE2 Aug 2023
- 2023Any-dimensional equivariant neural networks10 Jun 2023
4 more
- 2023Automated Scientific Discovery: From Equation Discovery to Autonomous Discovery Systems3 May 2023
- 2023AI for Science: An Emerging Agenda7 Mar 2023
- 2023Towards fully covariant machine learning31 Jan 2023
- 2022Machine learning and invariant theory29 Sep 2022
- 2024Lie Algebra Canonicalization: Equivariant Neural Operators under arbitrary Lie Groupscited by 23
- 2023Automated Scientific Discovery: From Equation Discovery to Autonomous Discovery Systemscited by 18
- 2023Approximately Equivariant Graph Networkscited by 16
- 2022Machine learning and invariant theorycited by 13
- 2023Towards fully covariant machine learningcited by 10
- 2023Any-dimensional equivariant neural networkscited by 8
- 2023SymmPI: Predictive Inference for Data with Group Symmetriescited by 8
- 2023AI for Science: An Emerging Agendacited by 5
- 2023Explainable Deep Learning for Tumor Dynamic Modeling and Overall Survival Prediction using Neural-ODEcited by 5
- 2024Is machine learning good or bad for the natural sciences?cited by 4
- 2024Tensor learning with orthogonal, Lorentz, and symplectic symmetriescited by 3
- 2025Improving Controller Generalization with Dimensionless Markov Decision Processescited by 2
12 most cited of 15 All 15 (JSON)
- 2026Warm-starting PDE solvers with any-dimensional machine learning30 Sep 2026
- 2026Dimensionally consistent surrogate modelling through dimensional analysis and harmonic expansions29 Sep 2026
- 2025Improving Controller Generalization with Dimensionless Markov Decision Processes14 Apr 2025
- 2024Lie Algebra Canonicalization: Equivariant Neural Operators under arbitrary Lie Groups3 Oct 2024
- 2024Tensor learning with orthogonal, Lorentz, and symplectic symmetries3 Jun 2024
- 2024Is machine learning good or bad for the natural sciences?28 May 2024
- 2023SymmPI: Predictive Inference for Data with Group Symmetries26 Dec 2023
- 2023Machine Learning for the identification of phase-transitions in interacting agent-based systems: a Desai-Zwanzig example29 Oct 2023
- 2023Approximately Equivariant Graph Networks21 Aug 2023
- 2023Explainable Deep Learning for Tumor Dynamic Modeling and Overall Survival Prediction using Neural-ODE2 Aug 2023
- 2023Any-dimensional equivariant neural networks10 Jun 2023
- 2023Automated Scientific Discovery: From Equation Discovery to Autonomous Discovery Systems3 May 2023
12 newest of 15 All 15 (JSON)