Answers to Barabasi: The Sixth Link pp25-35

1.What is the principle of six degrees of separation? What number of social links does any one person need to be connected to global society?

The principle of six degrees of separation is that despite our society's enormous size, it can easily be navigate by following social links from one person to another. Being connected to global society requires barely more than one social link per person.


2.How is the fabric of society today different from pre-internet society?

It is different in that we can get more information and get them quicker.


3. How many more links separate any pair of web pages compared to people in society? What can explain the difference?

Web pages are separated by nineteen links whereas people are separated by six links. This is because web pages have access to links connected to the same topic.


4. So far, what ranges of separation have network scientists discovered in different kinds of networks?

They have discovered that species in food webs are two links away from each other, molecules in the cells are separated on three chemical reactions, scientists in different fields of science are separated by four to six co authorship links and that the neurons in the brain of the C. elegans worm are separated by fourteen synapses.


5. What does research suggest about the fundamentals of networks?

The research used mathematical formula to suggest that average separation is very sort in most networks.


6. What is your estimate of your personal number of connections to society? What connections are your strongest?

My strongest connection would be with university students. Most of my friends are students, including people in other countries as well.