Multiply, then add

Let's run the whole thing once, with real numbers.

The three inputs are 2, 1, and 3. Their weights are 0.5, 0.2, and 0.1. The neuron multiplies each input by its weight, then adds the results:

2 × 0.5 + 1 × 0.2 + 3 × 0.1 = 1.5

The total comes to 1.5. If that clears the neuron's threshold, it fires. If not, it stays quiet.

That single move, multiply each input by its weight and add them up, is the basic pattern underneath artificial neurons. Modern networks add other machinery around it, but this weighted sum is the simple idea everything builds from.

Multiply, then add

Let's run the whole thing once, with real numbers.

The three inputs are 2, 1, and 3. Their weights are 0.5, 0.2, and 0.1. The neuron multiplies each input by its weight, then adds the results:

2 × 0.5 + 1 × 0.2 + 3 × 0.1 = 1.5

The total comes to 1.5. If that clears the neuron's threshold, it fires. If not, it stays quiet.