From Neuron to Network
The artificial neuron, the nonlinearity that makes depth worthwhile, and backprop written by hand.
In this module you will
- Describe the artificial neuron and where the biological metaphor stops
- Explain why a nonlinearity is structurally necessary
- Write a backward pass and verify it numerically
The Artificial Neuron and Its Honest Limits
A weighted sum and a threshold. The metaphor to biology is real, thin, and worth stating precisely.
Concept · 25m
Activations: Why the Nonlinearity Is Structural
Without a nonlinearity, depth is decoration. With the wrong one, depth is untrainable.
Concept · 25m
Backpropagation From Scratch
Build a two-layer network with no framework. This is the lesson that makes the rest concrete.
Hands-On Lab · 60m