Structures of Networks, Whether They’re Social, Economic or Scientific, Reveal Intrinsic Behavior Patterns

We live in a world where vast amounts of information are in continuous motion all around us. From Facebook to the spread of influenza, from traffic patterns to the stock market, man-made and natural systems are essentially giant, comprehensive networks of dynamic material and data.

“We can think of these networks as maps of nodes (information hubs) and links (information connectors),” says Rigoberto Hernandez, professor of chemistry at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “The structure of the nodes and links actually dictates how the network works. For example, as you exit a crowded theater, are you moving in a line? Is the line moving you or are you the line itself?”

According to Hernandez and other science experts, the topology of networks – for example, crowd migration, friendship connections, and the human nervous system – ultimately guides their observed phenomena. Furthermore, the connectivity of the networks’ hubs and connectors vastly influences the information or material being transported and vice-versa.

Sound way too complicated a concept to apply in daily life?

On Tuesday, June 23, Hernandez unravels real-life networks in his presentation: “Tipping Points: Avoiding collapse in economic, molecular, and social networks,” 6-7:15 p.m., at the Telluride Conference Center in Mountain Village. It is co-produced by the Telluride Science Research Center (TSRC) and Pinhead Institute, and sponsored by the Town of Mountain Village Owners Association (TMVOA). Admission is free and there will be a cash bar.

“If we envision a satellite image of the United States at night, we start to see patterns of lights everywhere,” says Hernandez. “What do the light patterns tell us about the structure of the electrical power grid? To what extent are the lights a representation of the power grid?” Hernandez asks. In this case, the collective behavior of each and every light infers the global architecture and connectivity of the man-made power grid.

So where does the “tipping point,” or “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point," as famous author, Malcolm Gladwell coins it in his bestselling novel, The Tipping Point, come into play amidst all this talk of complex systems?

Consider the localized effects of a system’s components. A single coffee grind will not brew a pot of coffee. An individual neuron does not produce body movement. One bank account does not cause economic collapse. “The individual behaviors of each component of the system are not intrinsically part of the underlying phenomena or function,” Hernandez remarks. A sufficient number of single components must reach a level of communication, a “tipping point,” to produce the complex network’s emergent behavior, or ultimate action.

“It's like a jigsaw puzzle in which you don't know how the pieces combine, and you don't know what picture will emerge until it's nearly all complete,” adds Hernandez.

Similar to a map charting the most efficient route to a final destination, the structures of social, economic, and scientific networks reveal their intrinsic behaviors. However as Hernandez will demonstrate, unlike a map, these complex connections of nodes and links also uncover significant trends, productivities, and bottlenecks of the very pillars that uphold the foundations of our world.

For more information please visit HYPERLINK "http://www.telluridescience.org/pinhead/2009"