A netwo rk is a collection of o bject s w here so

me pairs of object s a re connected by links

What is the structure of the network?
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 Components of a Network

• Objects: nodes,vertices N
• I nteractions: links, edges E
• System : networ k, gra ph G(N,E)

9/26/18 Jure Leskovec, Stanford CS224W : Analysis of Networks 48

 • Network often refers to real systems
•Web,Social network, Metabolic network Language:
Network, node, link

•Graph is a mathematica l representation of a

networ k
•Web graph,Social graph (a Facebook term)
Language: Graph,vertex, edge

We will try to make this distinction whenever it is appropriate, but in

most cases we will use the two terms intercha ngeably
9/26/18 Jure Leskovec, Stanford CS224W : Analysis of Networks 49
 Networks: Common Language

•
Movie 1
friend

Albert

INl
==4
9/26/18 Jure Leskovec, Stanford CS224W : Analysis of Networks
IEl 50

==4
 Choosing Proper Representations
I t f t'l f l
• If you connect individua ls that wor k t ,,f ,,
with each other,you will explore a ', ' ' I
'
'------
_ ,, - I

-,
I
.,

t
,,

professional network
' I .- \

---
• If you connect those that have a sexua
l relationship,you will be explor ing
sexual networks
• If you connect scientific papers that
cite each other,you will be studying the
citation network

• If you connect all papers with the same word in the title,
what will you be exploring? It is a networ k, nevertheless
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 How do you define a network?
• How to build a graph:
• What are nodes?
• What are edges?
• Choice of the proper network representation of a
given domain/problem determines our ability to
use networks successful ly:
• In some cases there is a unique, unambiguous
representation
• In other cases, the representation is by no means uni •

que
• The way you assign links will determine the nature of the
question you can study
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