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Title:
C++ Neural Networks&Fuzzy Logic 2edAuthor:
Valluru Rao&Hayagriva RaoReviewer:
Francis GlassborowThis is a reasonable book on writing software emulators of neural
networks and programming fuzzy logic. I assume that most readers have some
idea as to what a neural network is (a self-adjusting system that can be
trained by providing it with inputs and required outputs. If the actual
output does not meet the target, it adjusts itself to bring it closer.
These have a wide range of uses including such things as face recognition.
Fuzzy logic is probably rather less well known. In classic logic we have
just two values; true and false. The rules for combining statements are
easy to explain and to program. The problem is that the real world doesn't
quite work that way. Sometimes we only have partial knowledge, at other
times we cannot know things with certainty (quantum physics is an example of
some profound levels of necessary ignorance). Fuzzy logic is a relatively
new mathematics aimed at trying to compute results in such situations of
uncertainty. One problem is that we are unsure as how these calculations
should be done. For example, suppose someone whose track record as an 80%
accurate weather forecaster says that there is a ninety percent chance of
rain before evening; what is the probability that it will rain?
What I am far from happy with is the general standard of the C++ source code
in this book. To start with far too much of it has been printed. No
practical purpose is served by printing pages of output messages. Much of
the code is poor C masquerading as C++. In places, dangerous code lurks
inside deeply nested structures. The page I am looking at while I write
this contains part of an eight-page
main()
. Among other
complexity we have an
if
, nested inside a
for
nested inside a
while
nested inside a
while
.
The controlling expression of the outer while includes five boolean
and
s and two
or
s.
This book would be greatly improved by the authors finding a competent C++
programmer to do the design and implementation. A good editor would then
have insisted that the only code printed was that necessary to understand
the task. Reams of output text fuzzes understanding and wastes paper.
Source code does not make good pseudo code. I only hope that all concerned
do something about these issues before producing a third edition. The
subject matter is tough enough without making things worse with bad code
obfuscated by bad presentation.
