Deep learning starts with one weighted sum.

Multiply each input by a weight, add them up, and pass the result through an activation function. That is a neuron. Stack neurons into layers, train them with backpropagation, and you get classifiers, CNNs that read images, RNNs that read sequences, and GANs that make new data. This site turns each lecture into worked hand calculations you can repeat in the exam.

0.800.40w1 1.20w2 -0.800.61b -0.20inputsneuronoutput
Drag the sliders. The neuron multiplies, adds, then squashes the sum.

z = 1.20·0.80 + -0.80·0.40 + -0.20 = 0.44; a = Sigmoid(0.44) = 0.61