small-world model

The small-world model describes a type of network where most nodes (or points) are not directly connected, but a friend of a friend connection often links them. This means the network has many short paths between nodes, with clusters of tightly connected nodes, and only a few long-range links bridging different groups. It’s like a social community: you have close-knit friend groups, but a few acquaintances who connect you to other groups far away. This structure allows for efficient communication across the entire network, demonstrating how large systems can be connected through surprisingly few steps.