Book Image

Neural Networks with R

By : Balaji Venkateswaran, Giuseppe Ciaburro
Book Image

Neural Networks with R

By: Balaji Venkateswaran, Giuseppe Ciaburro

Overview of this book

Neural networks are one of the most fascinating machine learning models for solving complex computational problems efficiently. Neural networks are used to solve wide range of problems in different areas of AI and machine learning. This book explains the niche aspects of neural networking and provides you with foundation to get started with advanced topics. The book begins with neural network design using the neural net package, then you’ll build a solid foundation knowledge of how a neural network learns from data, and the principles behind it. This book covers various types of neural network including recurrent neural networks and convoluted neural networks. You will not only learn how to train neural networks, but will also explore generalization of these networks. Later we will delve into combining different neural network models and work with the real-world use cases. By the end of this book, you will learn to implement neural network models in your applications with the help of practical examples in the book.
Table of Contents (14 chapters)
Title Page
Credits
About the Authors
About the Reviewer
www.PacktPub.com
Customer Feedback
Preface

What is machine learning?


What do we mean by the term machine learning? The definition is quite difficult, to do so, we are asking large field of scientists to help. We can mention an artificial intelligence pioneer's quote:

"Field of study that gives computers the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed." 

 – Arthur Samuel

Machine learning is about training a model or an algorithm with data and then using the model to predict any new data. For example, a toddler is taught how to walk from his crawling phase. Initially, the toddler's parents hold the toddler's hand to help him up, and he is taught through the data that is given. On the basis of these procedures, if an obstacle presents itself in the toddler's path or if there is a turn somewhere, the toddler is able to navigate on his own after the training. The data used for training is the training data and the recipient continues to learn even after the formal training.

Machines too can be taught like toddlers to do a task based...