Networks in Theory and Life

A network is a description of a system of interconnected entities (“nodes”) and their connections (“links”).
Many complex systems can be represented by networks: social networks; communication networks;
biological networks such as the human immune system or ecological food webs; and many more.

Network representations of such systems strip out some of the details about the nodes and focus on the
links. Modern computational power makes it possible to create and run realistic models of large networks,
exploring the possibilities for and ramifications of changes in their connectivity. And these can be both
revealing and unexpected, including “emergent properties” of a system that could not be foreseen.

Learning to recognize patterns among interconnected objects, instead of focusing all our attention on the
objects alone, provides new insights and forms the basis for creativity in fields as diverse as biology and
creative writing.