Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum
Teacher professional development and classroom resources across the curriculum
Connections can be physical, as with bridges, or immaterial, as with friendships. Both types of connections can be understood using the same mathematical framework called network theory, or graph theory, which is a way to abstract and quantify the notion of connectivity. This unit looks at how this branch of mathematics provides insights into extremely complicated networks such as ecosystems.
Virtually everything we experience — in nature as well as human activity — involves a series of connections that link one thing to another. Networks, you might say, make the world go 'round.
Mathematicians view networks as fundamental objects of study. Networks, as a whole, exhibit behavior that is very difficult, if not impossible, to understand by studying the elements individually.
This interactive is a concept-building exercise, which explores at the characteristics of networks and allows you to build networks that meet specific criteria.