Interactive Demos
Learn by doing with interactive visualizations that make abstract concepts concrete.
Available Demos
Neural Network Visualizer
Step through neural network training on the XOR problem
See every detail of how a neural network learns:
- Forward pass computation with full mathematical notation
- Backward propagation showing gradient flow
- Weight updates in real-time
- Loss evolution over training epochs
Why XOR? It's the simplest problem that requires a hidden layer, making it perfect for understanding how neural networks learn non-linear representations.
Coming Soon
Attention Mechanism Visualizer
Explore how transformer attention works:
- Query, key, value transformations
- Attention weight computation
- Multi-head attention patterns
- Position-aware attention
Status: Planned for next phase
Transformer Block Visualizer
See a complete transformer layer in action:
- Residual stream flow
- Layer normalization effects
- MLP transformations
- Complete forward and backward passes
Status: Designing architecture
Sparse Autoencoder Explorer
Discover interpretable features in neural networks:
- Feature activation patterns
- Neuron polysemanticity
- Feature steering
- Activation reconstruction
Status: Research phase
How These Demos Help Learning
Make Math Visual
Equations are abstract - watching computations happen step-by-step makes them concrete.
Example: Seeing z = wx + b as actual numbers flowing through a network is more intuitive than reading the formula.
Enable Experimentation
Interactive controls let you explore "what if?" questions:
- What if I increase the learning rate 10x?
- What if I add noise to the training data?
- What if I reset just one weight?
Build Intuition
Repeated interaction with visualizations develops intuitive understanding that reading alone cannot provide.
Design Philosophy
All demos follow these principles:
1. Show Everything
No black boxes - every computation is visible and explained.
2. Interactive Controls
Users can experiment, not just watch. Play, pause, step forward/backward, adjust parameters.
3. Educational Focus
Designed for learning, not production use. Clarity over performance.
4. Self-Contained
Run entirely in browser - no backend, no installation, no setup.
5. Source Available
All demo code is open source - learn by reading the implementation too.
Technical Stack
Built with modern web technologies:
- React 19 - UI components and state management
- TypeScript - Type safety and documentation
- Vite - Fast development and optimized builds
- TailwindCSS - Styling and responsive design
- KaTeX - Mathematical notation rendering
- Vitest - Testing framework
Why web-based?
- Shareable (just send a URL)
- No installation required
- Works on any device with a browser
- Easy to iterate and update
Using the Demos
For Self-Study
- Start with the basics: Neural Network Visualizer
- Experiment actively: Change parameters, observe results
- Form hypotheses: Predict what will happen before clicking
- Verify understanding: Can you explain what you see?
For Teaching
- Live demonstrations: Show training dynamics in real-time
- Student exploration: Let learners experiment freely
- Discussion prompts: "Why did the loss spike?" "What would happen if...?"
For Research
- Prototyping visualizations: Fork and modify for your own use
- Testing hypotheses: Quick experiments without writing code
- Communicating ideas: Share URLs to show concepts
Contributing
Interested in building new demos or improving existing ones?
- Browse the source code
- Open an issue with demo ideas
- Submit a pull request with improvements
Feedback
Found a bug? Have a feature request? Confused by something?
Open an issue on GitHub - all feedback helps improve these learning tools!
New demos are added as the project evolves. Check back for updates!