NN and DL concepts

In this section, we discuss concepts that are important to understand in the context of NNs and DL. We begin by discussing how ANNs are linked to our understanding of the human brain.

Neurons and the perceptron

While the link between artificial neurons and biological neurons (as found in the human brain) is often over-emphasized, there is a conceptual link between them that helps us form a mental model of how they work. Biological neurons generally consist of three main parts, as depicted in Figure 9.1:

Figure 9.1: Neuron (source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/187096960@N06/51173238594)

The cell body is the core part of the neuron that contains the nucleus and other important components. The dendrites (coming from the Greek word “dendron,” meaning “tree”) are structures that branch out from the cell body. They receive information from other neurons and transmit this information to the cell body. Finally...