(圖片出處)
這是作者在 Cornel University 開課的教科書 (註 1),全書共 727 頁,短短 40 節課 (每節課 50 分鐘) (註 2),清楚地介紹網路和其行為。只需瞭解高中數學和基礎機率 (random variables, expectation, independence, and conditional probability) 就可以探知這有趣且重要的問題。
書籍的簡介
Over the past decade there has been a growing public fascination with the complex connectedness of modern society. This connectedness is found in many incarnations: in the rapid growth of the Internet, in the ease with which global communication takes place, and in the ability of news and information as well as epidemics and financial crises to spread with surprising speed and intensity. These are phenomena that involve networks, incentives, and the aggregate behavior of groups of people; they are based on the links that connect us and the ways in which our decisions can have subtle consequences for others.
This introductory undergraduate textbook takes an interdisciplinary look at economics, sociology, computing and information science, and applied mathematics to understand networks and behavior. It describes the emerging field of study that is growing at the interface of these areas, addressing fundamental questions about how the social, economic, and technological worlds are connected.
(註 1) David Easley and Jon Kleinberg, Networks, Crowds, and Markets: Reasoning About a Highly Connected World, 2010, Cambridge University Press. 該書大綱和下載處
(註 2) Cornel University 採學期制,每學期 15 週。