the.com/graph
a picture worth a thousand spreadsheets, lying only when the axis starts above zero
means A diagram that shows the relationship between two or more sets of numbers, usually plotted as points, lines, or bars on a pair of axes.
from From Greek 'graphein,' to write or draw — the same root that scratches its way through 'autograph,' 'photograph,' and 'paragraph.' 'Graph' itself is the shortened modern descendant, clipped down from words like 'graphic formula' in 19th-century scientific use, when the act of *drawing* data became as respectable as writing it down. So every chart you've ever squinted at is, etymologically, just a thing that's been written — in lines instead of letters.
- origin
- named from Greek graphein, meaning to write
- bridge problem
- graph theory born from Konigsberg's seven bridges in 1736
- six degrees
- everyone connects through roughly six social-graph hops
- deceptive scale
- truncated y-axes make tiny changes look catastrophic
- everywhere
- brains, the internet, and friendships are all graphs
facebook social graph — 3.06 billion monthly active users connected as nodes and edges representing friendships
internet backbone topology — global network of 400+ autonomous systems physically connected via undersea cables and terrestrial links