Researchers have proven the theory of "six handshakes"
Any two people on Earth are connected to each other through six or seven people in common.
Microsoft argued this argument by examining 30 billion text messages sent via MSN Messenger in June 2006.
On the basis of the data on the negotiations, it was established that each of the 240 million users of the service could “reach” the other in an average of 6.6 “steps” (direct and regular communication was considered “step”).
Moreover, in 78% of pairs, the length of the chain separating them is only seven steps or even less.
Thus, the researchers mathematically proved the “theory of six degrees of remoteness” or “six handshakes” put forward by the 1967 sociologist at Harvard University Stanley Milgram.
The hypothesis proposed by him was that each person is indirectly familiar with any other inhabitant of the planet through a short chain of mutual friends. On average, this chain consists of six people.
Milgram was based on experimental data in two American cities.
Residents of one city were given 300 envelopes that had to be handed over to a certain person who lived in another city. Envelopes could be transferred only through their friends and relatives.
Myth or scientific truth?
In 1998, Duncan Watts received confirmation of the Milgram theory. 60 thousand email users participated in his experiment. Watts's data turned out to be more convincing from a technical point of view, in addition, he built a clear mathematical model of the "six handshakes."
In 2006, Judith Kleinfield of the University of Alaska put the Milgram theory into question, finding out that in 1967 95% of letters did not reach the addressee. The researcher suggested that the theory of "six degrees of remoteness" is a kind of urban myth.
“How small the world is in terms of social connections, people guessed before us. But we show that this idea is a scientific truth, ”says Microsoft researcher Eric Norvitz.
Understanding the data received during the month of communication 242,720,596 MSN Messenger users from Norwich and Jure Leskovets from Carnegie Mellon University took two years.
The volume of data studied was about 4.5 terabytes. A special eight-processor server with 32 gigabytes of memory copied data for 12 hours.
')
A source
Microsoft argued this argument by examining 30 billion text messages sent via MSN Messenger in June 2006.
On the basis of the data on the negotiations, it was established that each of the 240 million users of the service could “reach” the other in an average of 6.6 “steps” (direct and regular communication was considered “step”).
Moreover, in 78% of pairs, the length of the chain separating them is only seven steps or even less.
Thus, the researchers mathematically proved the “theory of six degrees of remoteness” or “six handshakes” put forward by the 1967 sociologist at Harvard University Stanley Milgram.
The hypothesis proposed by him was that each person is indirectly familiar with any other inhabitant of the planet through a short chain of mutual friends. On average, this chain consists of six people.
Milgram was based on experimental data in two American cities.
Residents of one city were given 300 envelopes that had to be handed over to a certain person who lived in another city. Envelopes could be transferred only through their friends and relatives.
Myth or scientific truth?
In 1998, Duncan Watts received confirmation of the Milgram theory. 60 thousand email users participated in his experiment. Watts's data turned out to be more convincing from a technical point of view, in addition, he built a clear mathematical model of the "six handshakes."
In 2006, Judith Kleinfield of the University of Alaska put the Milgram theory into question, finding out that in 1967 95% of letters did not reach the addressee. The researcher suggested that the theory of "six degrees of remoteness" is a kind of urban myth.
“How small the world is in terms of social connections, people guessed before us. But we show that this idea is a scientific truth, ”says Microsoft researcher Eric Norvitz.
Understanding the data received during the month of communication 242,720,596 MSN Messenger users from Norwich and Jure Leskovets from Carnegie Mellon University took two years.
The volume of data studied was about 4.5 terabytes. A special eight-processor server with 32 gigabytes of memory copied data for 12 hours.
')
A source
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/30580/
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