On Space Folds of ReLU Neural Networks

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Lewandowski, Michal, Eghbalzadeh, Hamid, Heinzl, Bernhard, Pisoni, Raphael, Moser, Bernhard A.
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Lewandowski, Michal
Eghbalzadeh, Hamid
Heinzl, Bernhard
Pisoni, Raphael
Moser, Bernhard A.
author_facet Lewandowski, Michal
Eghbalzadeh, Hamid
Heinzl, Bernhard
Pisoni, Raphael
Moser, Bernhard A.
contents Recent findings suggest that the consecutive layers of ReLU neural networks can be understood geometrically as space folding transformations of the input space, revealing patterns of self-similarity. In this paper, we present the first quantitative analysis of this space folding phenomenon in ReLU neural networks. Our approach focuses on examining how straight paths in the Euclidean input space are mapped to their counterparts in the Hamming activation space. In this process, the convexity of straight lines is generally lost, giving rise to non-convex folding behavior. To quantify this effect, we introduce a novel measure based on range metrics, similar to those used in the study of random walks, and provide the proof for the equivalence of convexity notions between the input and activation spaces. Furthermore, we provide empirical analysis on a geometrical analysis benchmark (CantorNet) as well as an image classification benchmark (MNIST). Our work advances the understanding of the activation space in ReLU neural networks by leveraging the phenomena of geometric folding, providing valuable insights on how these models process input information.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_09954
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle On Space Folds of ReLU Neural Networks
Lewandowski, Michal
Eghbalzadeh, Hamid
Heinzl, Bernhard
Pisoni, Raphael
Moser, Bernhard A.
Machine Learning
Neural and Evolutionary Computing
Recent findings suggest that the consecutive layers of ReLU neural networks can be understood geometrically as space folding transformations of the input space, revealing patterns of self-similarity. In this paper, we present the first quantitative analysis of this space folding phenomenon in ReLU neural networks. Our approach focuses on examining how straight paths in the Euclidean input space are mapped to their counterparts in the Hamming activation space. In this process, the convexity of straight lines is generally lost, giving rise to non-convex folding behavior. To quantify this effect, we introduce a novel measure based on range metrics, similar to those used in the study of random walks, and provide the proof for the equivalence of convexity notions between the input and activation spaces. Furthermore, we provide empirical analysis on a geometrical analysis benchmark (CantorNet) as well as an image classification benchmark (MNIST). Our work advances the understanding of the activation space in ReLU neural networks by leveraging the phenomena of geometric folding, providing valuable insights on how these models process input information.
title On Space Folds of ReLU Neural Networks
topic Machine Learning
Neural and Evolutionary Computing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.09954