Instructor: Mark Newman
Office: 322 West Hall
Office hours: Wednesdays 1:30-3:30pm
Email: mejn@umich.edu
This course will introduce and develop the mathematical theory of networks, particularly social and technological networks, with applications to network-driven phenomena in the Internet, search engines, network resilience, epidemiology, and many other areas.
Topics to be covered will include experimental studies of social networks, the world wide web, information and biological networks; methods and computer algorithms for the analysis and interpretation of network data; graph theory; models of networks including random graphs and preferential attachment models; spectral methods and random matrix theory; maximum likelihood methods; percolation theory; network search.
Students should have studied calculus and linear algebra before taking the course, and should in particular be comfortable with the solution of linear differential equations and with the calculation and properties of eigenvalues and eigenvectors of matrices. In addition, a moderate portion of the course, perhaps two weeks, will deal with computer methods for analyzing networks. Some experience with computer programming will be a great help in understanding this part of the course.
There will be weekly graded problem sets, consisting of questions on both theory and applications. There will be three midterm exams but no final. The midterms will be in class at the usual time on September 24, November 5, and December 10.
There will be reading assignments for each lecture. The assignments are listed on the schedule below. Students are expected to do the reading for each lecture in a timely manner.
Textbook (required): Networks: An Introduction, M. E. J. Newman, Oxford University Press, Oxford (2010)
In addition to this required text, a list of other useful books is given below. None of them is required, but you may find them useful if you want a second opinion or more detail on certain topics.
General books on networks:
Books on specific networky topics:
| Date | Topic | Reading | On-line resources | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, Sept. 3 | Introduction | Chapter 1 | ||
| Thursday, Sept. 5 | Technological and social networks | Chapters 2 and 3 | ||
| Tuesday, Sept. 10 | Information and biological networks | Chapters 4 and 5 | ||
| Thursday, Sept. 12 | Basic mathematics of networks | 6.1-6.11 | Homework 1 | Homework 1 handed out |
| Tuesday, Sept. 17 | Centrality, transitivity, assortativity | Chapter 7 | ||
| Thursday, Sept. 19 | Network structure and degree distributions | 8.1-8.6 | Homework 1 due, no new homework this week | |
| Tuesday, Sept. 24 | Midterm 1 | In class, usual time and place | ||
| Thursday, Sept. 26 | Computer algorithms | Chapter 9 | Homework 2 | Homework 2 handed out |
| Tuesday, Oct. 1 | Shortest paths | 10.1-10.4 | ||
| Thursday, Oct. 3 | Matrix algorithms and graph partitioning | Chapter 11 | Homework 3 | Homework 2 due, Homework 3 handed out |
| Tuesday, Oct. 8 | Random graphs 1 | 12.1-12.5 | ||
| Thursday, Oct. 10 | Random graphs 2 | 12.6-12.8 | Homework 4 | Homework 3 due, Homework 4 handed out, due Oct. 24 |
| Tuesday, Oct. 15 | No class | Fall Break | ||
| Thursday, Oct. 17 | Network spectra | No new homework this week | ||
| Tuesday, Oct. 22 | Random matrix theory | |||
| Thursday, Oct. 24 | Configuration models 1 | 13.1-13.4 | Homework 5 | Homework 4 due, Homework 5 handed out |
| Tuesday, Oct. 29 | Configuration models 2 | 13.5-13.8 | ||
| Thursday, Oct. 31 | Configuration models 3 | 13.9-13.11 | No new homework this week | |
| Tuesday, Nov. 5 | Midterm 2 | In class, usual time and place. Homework 5 due. | ||
| Thursday, Nov. 7 | Maximum likelihood methods | Homework 6 | Homework 6 handed out | |
| Tuesday, Nov. 12 | No class | |||
| Thursday, Nov. 14 | The expectation-maximization method | Homework 6 due, no new homework this week | ||
| Tuesday, Nov. 19 | No class | |||
| Thursday, Nov. 21 | Generative models 1 | 14.1-14.2 | Homework 7 | Homework 7 handed out, due Dec. 5 |
| Tuesday, Nov. 26 | Generative models 2 | 14.3-14.5 | ||
| Thursday, Nov. 28 | No class | Thanksgiving | ||
| Tuesday, Dec. 3 | Percolation | Chapter 16 | ||
| Thursday, Dec. 5 | Epidemics on networks | 17.1-17.8 | Homework 7 due | |
| Tuesday, Dec. 10 | Midterm 3 | In class, usual time and place |