Chapter 8. Online Resources
Scale-free Network Under Node Failures
Online Resource 8.1
To illustrate the robustness of a scale-free net- work we start from the network we constructed in Online Resource 4.1, i.e. a scale-free network generated by the Barabasi-Albert model. Next we randomly select and remove nodes one-by-one. As the movie illustrates, despite the fact that we remove a significant fraction of the nodes, the network refuses to break apart. Visualization by Dashun Wang.
Scale-free Networks Under Attack
Online Resource 8.2
During an attack we aim to inflict maximum damage on a network. We can do this by removing first the highest degree node, followed by the next highest degree, and so on. As the movie illustrates, it is sufficient to remove only a few hubs to break a scale-free network into disconnected components. Compare this with the network’s refusal to break apart under random node failures, shown in Online Resource 8.1. Visualization by Dashun Wang.