Neural Networks

Neural networks are a classification machine learning model. Neural networks are becoming increasingly popular for identifying trends within data because neural networks can be highly individualized. To do this, neural networks accept input from data features and pass these feature values through the layers of nodes until classifications are returned as output. Neural network algorithms use activation and loss functions to allow the model to better reflect the complexity of the data and to optimize model performance, respectively. Using a running example, this entry discusses the layers, functions, and phases of neural networks, as well as other relevant considerations.