Six Degrees: the Science of a Connected Age.DUNCAN J. WATTS How do small outbreaks of disease become epidemics? How do populations of flashing fireflies or beating pacemaker pacemaker Source of rhythmic electrical impulses that trigger heart contractions. In the heart's electrical system, impulses generated at a natural pacemaker are conducted to the atria and ventricles. cells manage to synchronize See synchronization. their rhythms? How vulnerable is the U.S. power grid or the Internet to attack? Reporting from the front line of the emerging science of networks Columbia University Columbia University, mainly in New York City; founded 1754 as King's College by grant of King George II; first college in New York City, fifth oldest in the United States; one of the eight Ivy League institutions. sociologist Watts gives an insider's account of how this field is defining our connectedness. Watts reveals how individual behavior aggregates into collective behavior--a phenomenon that can be understood only through work in several scientific disciplines. Once he defines the nature of networks, he discusses the myriad Myriad is a classical Greek name for the number 104 = 10 000. In modern English the word refers to an unspecified large quantity. The term myriad is a progression in the commonly used system of describing numbers using tens and hundreds. ways that networks bind together everything from our economy to our airports and highway systems. Norton, 2003, 368 p., hardcover, $27.95, |
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