Abstract: The present invention provides apparatus, systems and methods for electronically teaching phonics. The exemplary embodiment provides a base unit with multiple receiving wells for blocks. The outer surface of each face of each block expresses an alphabetic character. Each face of each alphabet block has a unique bit pattern expressed in a pattern of electrically conductive material that identifies the alphabetic character expressed on the outer surface of the opposing block face. Underneath the exposed surface of the floor of each block receiving well, is an electronic sensing device. The electronic sensing device uses capacitive coupling in accordance with a test bit pattern to identify the alphabetic character expressed by each block in each block receiving well. A computer device, such as a microprocessor, identifies phonetic relationships between the exposed letters and determines the phoneme for each exposed alphabetic character for each block in a block receiving well.

Abstract: A circuit and method for estimating gradients of a target function using noise injection and correlation is provided. In one embodiment, an input signal is combined with an input noise signal and the combined signal is input to a circuit which computes the output of the target function. An amplified noise signal and output signal of the target function are input to a multiplier which performs a correlation of the inputs. The output of the multiplier is processed by a low-pass filter which generates the gradient. The circuit and method can be expanded to N-dimensions. Furthermore, in a alternate embodiment, a differentiator is coupled between the multiplier and amplifier and the multiplier and the output of the target function to differentiate the two signals prior to input to the multiplier. In other embodiments, the circuit may be used to compute gradient-like signals, wherein each component of the gradient is individually scaled by a different value.