The investigation of networks is not only applicable to the human population, but also to animal populations. The emergence of distinct groups within populations of wild animals is used to distinguish new species. The in-class example of isolated groups of the human population not connected to any “giant component” is precisely analogous to Darwin’s […]

Looking for something to write about for my Econ 204 post, I stumbled upon gametheory.net—a comprehensive site on game theory (as its name obviously suggests).  The site has information about game theory books, a dictionary of game theory terms, links to news on game theory, a section on game theory in pop culture, and, of course, […]

Large social networks - a good thing to have. It means more friends, more contacts, and more connections, simply, but researches at the Virginia Ann Arbor Health Care System and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor have recently conducted a study that implies that a large social network may also be a health […]

Why do certain songs sound so good? Why are there simple tunes that are so catchy? How can we tell immediately that some sounds just don’t go well together? Of course, there are many factors that contribute to how music is interpreted by human ears, but much can be understood by seeing the networks behind […]

In the October 5th, 2007 issue of the journal Science, Keith Jensen, Josep Call, and Michael Tomasello published an article entitled “Chimpanzees are Rational Maximizers in an Ultimatum Game.” This article can be found here: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/318/5847/107
The authors study the ultimatum game and contrast human behavior with chimpanzee behavior. The ultimatum game is played between two […]

I am sure that everyone has heard, seen and even experienced the recent hikes in oil prices. It is so hard to believe that the United States, once an economic powerhouse that had the “last say” on almost everything, no longer is the main “driver” in determining oil prices. This is because the United States […]

At the beginning of the semester, we discussed the concept of homophily – its pervasiveness in social networks and its role in triadic closure (the idea that if two people have a mutual friend they are more likely to become friends themselves at some point). Simply by examining our close friendships we can verify that […]

Juicy campus is a relatively new website that gives students ability to anonymously start posts about whatever they desire.  Unfortunately this website has brought about many controversial, mean spirited threads posted all of the website. In terms of our class, the article reveals how a website that connects to so many different networks of people, […]

Adjunct faculty play a significant role in the success of American college institutions. As can be seen in the following article, http://mtprof.msun.edu/Win2000/Wickun.html, when college budgets are cut, adjunct faculty are often brought in from industry to teach courses the school may not otherwise be able to afford. There are several benefits to this. […]

“Product Liability and Game Theory: One More Trip to the Choice-of Law Well” by Michael Krauss applies many of the issues addressed in class to product liability law. The original article is found in the Brigham Young University Law Review and the link is at the bottom of the page. The article addresses many aspects […]