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So far, every signal has counted the same. One input, one vote. But that is not how real thinking works. Some signals matter more than others.
One quick note on words. From here on, when we say "neuron" we mean the artificial kind, the simple math version we are building, not the brain cell. When we mean the real thing, we will say "brain cell" or "biological neuron."
Look at the wires connecting the inputs to the central neuron. Each wire now has a weight, a number between 0 and 1. The weight controls how much of that signal gets through. A weight of 0.8 lets most of it pass. A weight of 0.1 barely lets anything through.
So the neuron stops simply counting its inputs. Instead, it gives each one its weight, and adds up what's left.
A signal with a high weight contributes a lot. A signal with a low weight barely registers. That is how the neuron decides what matters.
Click the inputs on or off, and drag the weight labels to watch the total change.
The signals are the same. What changed is the connections.