Perceptrons
A Perceptron is an Artificial Neuron.
It is the simplest possible Neural Network.
Neural Networks are the building blocks of Machine Learning.
Frank Rosenblatt
Frank Rosenblatt (1928 – 1971) was an American psychologist notable in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
In 1957 he started something really big. He "invented" a Perceptron program, on an IBM 704 computer at Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory.
Scientists had discovered that brain cells (Neurons) receive input from our senses by electrical signals.
The Neurons, then again, use electrical signals to store information, and to make decisions based on previous input.
Frank had the idea that Perceptrons could simulate brain principles, with the ability to learn and make decisions.
The Perceptron
The original Perceptron was designed to take a number of binary inputs, and produce one binary output (0 or 1).
The idea was to use different weights to represent the importance of each input, and that the sum of the values should be greater than a threshold value before making a decision like yes or no (true or false) (0 or 1).
Perceptron Example
Imagine a perceptron (in your brain).
The perceptron tries to decide if you should go to a concert.
Is the artist good? Is the weather good?
What weights should these facts have?
| Criteria | Input | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Artists are Good | x1 = 0 or 1 | w1 = 0.7 |
| Weather is Good | x2 = 0 or 1 | w2 = 0.6 |
| Friend will Come | x3 = 0 or 1 | w3 = 0.5 |
| Food is Served | x4 = 0 or 1 | w4 = 0.3 |
| Alcohol is Served | x5 = 0 or 1 | w5 = 0.4 |
The Perceptron Algorithm
Frank Rosenblatt suggested this algorithm:
- Set a threshold value
- Multiply all inputs with its weights
- Sum all the results
- Activate the output
1. Set a threshold value:
- Threshold = 1.5
2. Multiply all inputs with its weights:
- x1 * w1 = 1 * 0.7 = 0.7
- x2 * w2 = 0 * 0.6 = 0
- x3 * w3 = 1 * 0.5 = 0.5
- x4 * w4 = 0 * 0.3 = 0
- x5 * w5 = 1 * 0.4 = 0.4
3. Sum all the results:
- 0.7 + 0 + 0.5 + 0 + 0.4 = 1.6 (The Weighted Sum)
4. Activate the Output:
- Return true if the sum > 1.5 ("Yes I will go to the Concert")
Note
If the weather weight is 0.6 for you, it might of the different for someone else. A higher weight means that the weather is more important to them.
If the threshold value is 1.5 for you, it might be different for someone else. A lower threshold means they are more wanting to go to any concert.
Example
const threshold = 1.5;
const inputs = [1, 0, 1, 0, 1];
const weights = [0.7, 0.6, 0.5, 0.3, 0.4];
let sum = 0;
for (let i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++) {
sum += inputs[i] * weights[i];
}
const activate = (sum > 1.5);
Perceptron Terminology
- Perceptron Inputs (nodes)
- Node values (1, 0, 1, 0, 1)
- Node Weights (0.7, 0.6, 0.5, 0.3, 0.4)
- Activation Function (sum > treshold)
Nodes (Perceptron Inputs)
Perceptron inputs are called nodes.
The nodes have both a value and a weight.
Node Values (Input Values)
Each input node has a binary value of 1 or 0.
This can be interpreted as true or false / yes or no.
In the example above, the node values are: 1, 0, 1, 0, 1
Node Weights
Weights shows the strength of each node.
In the example above, the node weights are: 0.7, 0.6, 0.5, 0.3, 0.4
The Activation Function
The activation function maps the weighted sum into a binary value of 1 or 0.
This can be interpreted as true or false / yes or no.
In the example above, the activation function is simple: (sum > 1.5)
Note
It is obvious that a decision is NOT made by one neuron alone.
Many other neurons must provide input:
- Is the artist good
- Is the weather good
- ...
Multi-Layer Perceptrons can be used for very sophisticated decision-making.
Neural Networks
The Perceptron defines the first step into Neural Networks:
