Graph properties
As we have already learned, a graph is a mathematical model that is used for describing relations between entities. However, each complex network presents intrinsic properties. Such properties can be measured by particular metrics, and each measure may characterize one or several local and global aspects of the graph.
In a graph for a social network such as Twitter, for example, users (represented by the nodes of the graph) are connected to each other. However, there are users that are more connected than others (influencers). On the Reddit social graph, users with similar characteristics tend to group into communities.
We have already mentioned some of the basic features of graphs, such as the number of nodes and edges in a graph, which constitute the size of the graph itself. Those properties already provide a good description of the structure of a network. Think about the Facebook graph, for example: it can be described in terms of the number of nodes and...