Artificial neural networks (ANN) are mathematical models for the simulation of typical human brain activities, such as image perception, pattern recognition, language understanding, sense–motor coordination, and so on. These models are composed of a system of nodes, equivalent to the neurons of a human brain, which are interconnected by weighted links, equivalent to the synapses between neurons, as shown in the following diagram:
The output of the network is iteratively changed from the link weights up to the convergence. The original data is provided to the input layer and the result of the network is returned from the output level. The input nodes represent the independent or predictor variables that are used to predict the dependent variables—that is, the output neurons.
Serial computers and their programs are very powerful tools...