The Network Origins of Modern Graph Theory
https://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/upload_library/22/Polya/hopkins.pdf https://www.math.ku.edu/~jmartin/courses/math105-F11/Lectures/chapter5-part1.pdf When discussing graph theory in class, it has been referred to as a tool to help visualize and analyze various examples of networks, such as social networks, road networks and ecosystems. However, the networks and the resulting analyses performed on them have not been conducive to discovering deeper properties which can’t be easily […]
Triadic Closure’s Potential to Ruin Job Opportunities via LinkedIn
I’d be shocked to find a Cornell student who has never heard of Linkedin. Students use Linkedin to build their professional network and look for job opportunities. Every LinkedIn user starts out with zero connections. Once the resume section of the profile is complete the site suggests potential connections to users. For example, if a […]
The Spiral Trap of Death
In a peculiar occurrence, army ants can often find themselves in a spiral trap until they achieve death by exhaustion. This phenomenon spawns out of their evolutionary sensing ability. Army ants lack both vision and long term homes. In spite of this disadvantage, instead of being stationary creatures, they are constantly looking for food in […]
A Network of Tremors
As is a recurring theme of Cornell University’s “Networks” course, networks of all kinds are pervasive. They appear in a variety of social and natural settings, and sometimes, they appear in the most unlikely places, yielding potent applications to contemporary societal issues. Earthquakes pose large risks to society, particularly in populated areas. Japan, which lies […]
Network(s)ing: LinkedIn and the Small (Business) World Phenomenon
https://www.linkedin.com/about-us?trk=uno-reg-guest-home-about https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/110/your-network-and-degrees-of-connection?lang=en https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140502231510-422433-how-many-linkedin-connections-do-you-need-to-make-linkedin-work-for-you http://biz.idahostatejournal.com/is-networking-most-important-business-skill-2/ LinkedIn is “the world’s largest professional network,” according to said website’s About page. It is a website that I’m sure most Cornellians are familiar with, because every college’s Career Center encourages its students to sign-up for one as early as possible. The logic is that the earlier you start, the more […]
Drugstore Wars and Structural Balance
In February 2016, Target began converting its in-store pharmacies nation-wide to CVS pharmacies, effectively allowing one of its former competitors to directly nest under its nose. At first glance, this merger might seem counter-intuitive: Target was not in any apparent and significant financial crisis, so why did Target choose to let CVS operate its pharmacies […]
What’s the Perfect Number of Friends?
A Times article posed the question “How Many Friends do I Need”? This depends on the person, but researchers have found that a person usually has about 150 friends. This is the group of friends that one talks to, shares meals with, and “rotates” hanging around with. This group of 150 people can be compared […]
Social Status and its impact on Unbalanced Networks and Cyberbullying
The Strong, the Weak, and the Unbalanced: The Link Between Tie Strength and Cyberaggression on a Social Network Site — By: Denis Wegge1 , Heidi Vandebosch1 , Steven Eggermont2 , and Michel Walrave1 http://ssc.sagepub.com.proxy.library.cornell.edu/content/33/3/315.full.pdf+html Social networks, such as Facebook, has allowed us to have numerous weak ties. Researchers have found that this phenomenon of having […]
Structural Balance and Political Polarization
Over the past few decades, political polarization in American politics seems to be picking up momentum, with Republicans and Democrats separating ideologically. Jonathan Haidt and Marc J. Hetherington of the New York Times attribute this trend to the Republicans allying with the Religious Right and the Democrats allying with the Civil Rights Movement and the […]
Efficient clustering of hyenas
Even without learning about the triadic closure property, we naturally find it easier to make new friends when they are introduced by our close friends. Triadic closure property refers to a principle that if two individuals in a network have a friend in common, it becomes more likely for them to become friends themselves. Such […]
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