Now that we have settled upon a layout, let's take some time to perform a cursory analysis of the network to see what patterns can be identified and begin understanding relationships within the network. In Chapter 4, Network Patterns, and Chapter 6, Graph Statistics, we'll venture much further into analyzing some graphs from both visual and technical perspectives, but let's get a head start on the process.
Here's the Yifan Hu layout we saw previously:
The Yifan Hu layout
Let your eyes scan the graph for a few moments to understand more about the network. Ready? Here are a few things you might have noticed:
The graph is still somewhat difficult to navigate
A number of nodes have been forced away from the center and appear to have single edges in many cases
There are no obvious hubs (high degree nodes) to be seen
Several linear connections appear, with several nodes connected in sequence— although this is only evident when zooming into the graph
Now let's use some automated approaches...