Quote for the Day: Monday, February 18th, 2008
"If Osama's only 6 degrees away, why can't we find him?"
Source: Discover Magazine
Posted by: Amitai Givertz
Amitai Givertz's blog | more articles in Daily Links
Mon, 02/18/2008 - 9:28pm
I remember this. The answer is that we aren't really connected by six degrees - we are connected by an average of six degrees (actually something like 5.8).
And it all depends on how you connect people. Kevin Bacon the game becomes much easier if you include adult films, as Ron Jeremy becomes a super-connector based on his appearance in regular hollywood films.
It's better to understand six degrees under the small world theory, which still doesn't deliver absolutes, but does explain the tendency of people to hang out with those similar to themselves.
Jim Durbin
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