Another look at the Gardner problem

Abstract: In this paper we revisit one of the classical perceptron problems from the neural networks and statistical physics. In \cite{Gar88} Gardner presented a neat statistical physics type of approach for analyzing what is now typically referred to as the Gardner problem. The problem amounts to discovering a statistical behavior of a spherical perceptron. Among various quantities \cite{Gar88} determined the so-called storage capacity of the corresponding neural network and analyzed its deviations as various perceptron parameters change. In a more recent work \cite{SchTir02,SchTir03} many of the findings of \cite{Gar88} (obtained on the grounds of the statistical mechanics replica approach) were proven to be mathematically correct. In this paper, we take another look at the Gardner problem and provide a simple alternative framework for its analysis. As a result we reprove many of now known facts and rigorously reestablish a few other results.