Hand-Writing a PyTorch MLP Exercise
ProfTomYeh · x · 2026-07-14
The author uses a pen-and-paper exercise to explain how to manually code a Multilayer Perceptron in PyTorch, mapping the code directly to the underlying math.
Key points include:
- Determining the weight matrix shape of nn.Linear based on input/output dimensions
- Explaining when bias is necessary and when it isn't
- Demonstrating how outputs transform at each layer using ReLU and Sigmoid
The author notes that three years ago, students questioned why they couldn't just use a notebook. Today, even colleagues are reverting teaching materials back to paper. The core argument is that writing by hand forces you to answer whether you truly understand what the code does, rather than just copy-pasting.
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