Artificial Neural Network

What is Neural Network?

The term ‘Neural’ is derived from the human (animal) nervous system’s basic functional unit ‘neuron’ or nerve cells which are present in the brain and other parts of the human (animal) body.

What is Artificial Neural Network?

Artificial Neural Networks are the biologically inspired simulations performed on the computer to perform certain specific tasks like clustering, classification, pattern recognition etc.

Artificial Neural Networks, in general — is a biologically inspired network of artificial neurons configured to perform specific tasks.

An ANN is based on a collection of connected units or nodes called artificial neurons (analogous to biological neurons in an animal brain). Each connection (synapse) between neurons can transmit a signal from one to another. The receiving (postsynaptic) neuron can process the signal(s) and then signal downstream neurons connected to it. In common ANN implementations, the synapse signal is a real number, and the output of each neuron is calculated by a non-linear function of the sum of its input. Neurons and synapses may also have a weight that varies as learning proceeds, which can increase or decrease the strength of the signal that it sends downstream. Further, they may have a threshold such that only if the aggregate signal is below (or above) that level is the downstream signal sent.