Ever wondered why you’re only a handful of handshakes away from anyone on the planet? This video unpacks the math behind “six degrees of separation,” exploring how a few random shortcuts turn a sprawling network into a tight-knit “small world.” You’ll play with Watts–Strogatz simulations to see how weak ties and shortcut links prove the small-world phenomenon—and discover just how fast a disease can jump across our social web.
Along the way, network legends Duncan Watts, Steve Strogatz, and Albert-László Barabási reveal why some nodes become mega-hubs through preferential attachment, how the Prisoner’s Dilemma models cooperation (or not), and why your everyday choices can send ripples through the entire global network.
Watch on YouTube
Top comments (0)