Applied and Interdisciplinary Mathematics Seminar

University of Michigan

Winter 2007
Friday, 9 Feb, 3:10-4:00pm, 1084 East Hall

The Internet, epidemics, and Erdos numbers: Graphs and networks in the real world

Mark Newman

Department of Physics
University of Michigan


Abstract

Many systems take the form of networks: the Internet, the World Wide Web, social networks, distribution networks, citation networks, food webs, and neural networks are just a few examples. I will show some recent empirical results on the structure of these and other networks, particularly emphasizing degree sequences, clustering, and vertex-vertex correlations. I will also discuss some graph theoretical models of networks that incorporate these features, and give examples of how both empirical measurements and models can lead to interesting and useful predictions about the real world.