Node degree distribution

Random networks versus real networks (scale-free power-law networks)


scale-free network - node degree distribution - power law

Left: In traditional random networks most nodes have a medium node degree. The degrees of all nodes are distributed around the average.
Right: Real networks usually show a skewed node-degree distribution in which most nodes have only few links but, by contrast, there exist some nodes which are extremely linked. This heavy tailed distribution is known as power-law or scale-free distribution.

Node degree: The degree of a node in a network is the number of links to other nodes, or simply the number of contacts in a social network.

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www.network-science.org Matthias Scholz