Abstract: A numeric encoding method and apparatus for neural networks, encodes numeric input data into a form applicable to an input of a neural network by partitioning a binary input into N-bit input segments, each of which is replaced with a code having M adjacent logic ones and 2.sup.N -1 logic zeros, the bit position of the least significant of the M logic ones corresponding to the binary value of the input segment it replaces. The codes are concatenated to form an encoded input. A decoding method decodes an output from the neural network into a binary form by partitioning the output into output segments having 2.sup.N +M-1 bits each, each of which is replaced with an N-bit binary segment being a bracketed weighted average of the significances of logic ones present in the output segment. The binary segments are concatenated to form a decoded output.