Network structure is intimately related to the processes that occur in networked systems. Different processes create different structures, and different structures influence networked processes. Simulations can be used to generate synthetic networks. These networks can be used to study how structure forms in real systems. Real or synthetic networks can also be used to simulate processes that occur on those networks, to understand the influence of structure on those processes. This chapter introduces several common synthetic network models, as well as an example of simulating networked processes using agent-based modeling.
In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:
- Watts-Strogatz networks: Simulating small worlds by adding random shortcuts to locally-clustered networks
- Preferential attachment: How the rich getting richer creates scale-free heavy...