Network Analysis

(MA214-5/7)
lecture 2: different types of networks (part 1)
Dr Daniel Ahelegbey
d.f.ahelegbey@essex.ac.uk
Dr Andrew Harrison
harry@essex.ac.uk
 In week 16:
• Network
• Examples in real life
• Basic elements to form a network: nodes and edges
• Two simplest networks: simple and non-simple network
and their mathematical presentations (Adjacency matrix)
Weighted Networks
Simple and non-simple networks presented previously may not be
enough to present some networks in the real life.

Internet: edges of the network might have weights to

present the amount of data flowing along them/ bandwidth.
 Weighted Networks

2 3
1
1 0.5
1 1

unweighted weighted

• Weights upon edges

Q1 (discuss in groups):
• Edge weight is usually a positive
Can weights be negative?
number
Weighted Networks
Adjacency matrix: equals to the corresponding weight of the connection
between nodes and .

( )
2 0 2 0 0 1 0
3
2 0 1 3 0 0
1
𝐴= 0 1 0 0.5 1 1
1 0.5 0 3 0.5 0 0 0
1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 1 0 0 0
Directed Networks
A directed network/graph (or digraph) ---- A network with each edge
having a direction pointing from one node to another.

These edges are called directed edges or arcs.

They can be presented by lines with arrows.

Undirected Directed
All these edges are
bidirectional!
 Directed Networks
Adjacency matrix e.g., means there
is one edge from 2
to 1.

Usually
asymmetric

( )
0 0 0 1 0 0
0 0 1 0 0 0
𝐴= 1 0 0 0 1 0
Q2: Why is it
0 0 0 0 0 1
0 0 0 1 0 1 usually
0 1 0 0 0 0 asymmetric?
Directed Networks
Can directed networks have multi-edges and self-edges?

• Multi-edges: Yes, it can have.

• Self-edges: Yes, but a self-edge in the directed network connects
node to itself should have (unweighted)
 Directed Networks
Q3: Compute the adjacency matrix of the network shown below.

2 6
• Black: labels for nodes 3 2
• Blue and underlined: weights 1
2
5

2
0.1
1.5
1
4
1
3 5
2
Acyclic Networks
A cycle in the directed network ---- A closed loop of edges
connections
Acyclic Networks:
Those directed networks with NO cycles.
Cyclic Networks:
Those networks with at least one cycle.

Q4: Can an acyclic network have self-edges/self-loops?

 Acyclic Networks Start

How to determine? NO
Find a node with no outgoing edges Cyclic

YES

Algorithm 1 Remove it and its all ingoing edges

NO
No node in the network

YES
If cyclic, there must be nodes left
and each one has outgoing edges. Acyclic
 Start
Acyclic Networks
NO
Find a node with no outgoing edges Cyclic

YES

Remove it and its all ingoing edges

NO
No node in the network

YES
Acyclic

Q5: Use Algorithm 1 to check whether the above network is acyclic.

(Hint: you can start from node 1 and check whether all the nodes can be removed using the
algorithm. Node 1 has no outgoing edges, so remove node 1 and edges from 5 to 1 and 3
to 1.)
Acyclic Networks
Adjacency matrix:

( )
0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0
𝐴= 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 Acyclic Networks
• Diagonal elements: 0 (Why?)
• Upper triangular: there must exist one labelling method for the nodes
to allow the adjacency matrix to be strictly upper triangular. (depends
on node labels)

If we can label the nodes 1,2,3,…, n such that all edges point from the
higher numbered nodes to the lower numbered nodes.
Below the diagonal, each has holds.
Hypergraphs
How to use one edge to connect more than two nodes?
We need this in some circumstances such as presenting family ties
Hyperedge ---- An edge that connects more than two nodes
Hypergraph ---- A network with hyperedges

Another way to
present hypergraph

Bipartite network
(lecture for the next week)
Reference
[1] Newman, M. (2018). Networks. Oxford university press.

[2] Menczer, F., Fortunato, S., & Davis, C. A. (2020). A first course in network science.
Cambridge University Press.

[3] Platt, E. L. (2019). Network Science with Python and NetworkX Quick Start Guide: Explore
and Visualize Network Data Effectively. Packt Publishing Ltd.

Remark
Pictures used in this lecture notes are from chapter 6 of Newman (2018).
The main content of this lecture notes is write based on chapter 6 of Newman (2018).