Dots and Lines
Hidden Networks in Social Media, AI, and Nature
Published on 13. May 2025
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-4214-5126-8 (ISBN)
Description
Can networks unlock secrets of AI or make sense of a social media mess? A behind-the-scenes look at how networks reveal reality.
Bronze Winner of the 2025 Foreword INDIES Award, Science and Technology Category, by the FOREWORD Reviews
According to mathematician Anthony Bonato, the hidden world of networks permeates our lives in astounding ways. From Bitcoin transactions to neural connections, his book explains how networks shape everything from political landscapes to climate patterns and how deceptively simple dots and lines can unveil the wonders of technology, society, and even nature.
From a fresh and startling look at the true impact of clever keywords in politicians' social media posts to a fun breakdown of survival strategies in reality TV shows, Bonato shows us how network theory operates everywhere. Each chapter focuses on a unique aspect of networks to reveal how they provide a captivating lens for bringing diverse phenomena into clearer focus.
The book offers an accessible snapshot of networks for anyone curious about what makes the modern world tick. Bonato's insights will give readers a deeper appreciation and understanding of networks and their relevance to our everyday lives.
Bronze Winner of the 2025 Foreword INDIES Award, Science and Technology Category, by the FOREWORD Reviews
According to mathematician Anthony Bonato, the hidden world of networks permeates our lives in astounding ways. From Bitcoin transactions to neural connections, his book explains how networks shape everything from political landscapes to climate patterns and how deceptively simple dots and lines can unveil the wonders of technology, society, and even nature.
From a fresh and startling look at the true impact of clever keywords in politicians' social media posts to a fun breakdown of survival strategies in reality TV shows, Bonato shows us how network theory operates everywhere. Each chapter focuses on a unique aspect of networks to reveal how they provide a captivating lens for bringing diverse phenomena into clearer focus.
The book offers an accessible snapshot of networks for anyone curious about what makes the modern world tick. Bonato's insights will give readers a deeper appreciation and understanding of networks and their relevance to our everyday lives.
Reviews / Votes
Delightfully nerdish. . . . Bonato, a reliable and affable narrator, gives a rigorous survey of network applications: constellations and galaxies; memes on social media; the 100 billion neurons, connected by 100 trillion synapses, in the human brain.-Wall Street Journal
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore, MD
United States
Illustrations
15 farbige Abbildungen, 37 s/w Abbildungen
37 Illustrations, black and white; 15 Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 165 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
589 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4214-5126-8 (9781421451268)
DOI
10.56021/9781421451268
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Anthony Bonato is a professor in the department of mathematics at Toronto Metropolitan University. He is the author of A Course on the Web Graph, An Invitation to Pursuit-Evasion Games and Graph Theory, and Limitless Minds: Interviews with Mathematicians.
Content
Author's Note
0. The Network Lens
1. The Twitter President
2. Survivor of the Fittest?
3. It's a Very, Very Small World
4. Memes Spread Like Wildfire
5. Catch Me If You Can
6. All the World's a Network
7. Space: The Final Frontier
8. Cells Interlinked
9. The Geometry of Position
10. Our Networked World
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
0. The Network Lens
1. The Twitter President
2. Survivor of the Fittest?
3. It's a Very, Very Small World
4. Memes Spread Like Wildfire
5. Catch Me If You Can
6. All the World's a Network
7. Space: The Final Frontier
8. Cells Interlinked
9. The Geometry of Position
10. Our Networked World
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index