NETWORK THEORY

Network theory is a theory for analyzing graphs that represent systems containing discrete
objects, with lines between the objects denoting their interactions

Network theory now lies at the intersection of many areas, including mathematics,
computer science, electronic engineering, computer engineering, and operations research. It
is made up of many topics, which can be classified into three categories: mathematical
theory, software development, and hardware development. The focuses on mathematical
theory and network design and analysis. It includes but is not limited to the following
topics:

 Graph Theory.
 Switching Networks.
 Network Topology Designs with Parallel and Distributing computing.
 Transportation Networks.
 Routing on Networks.
 VLSI Design.
 Scheduling Algorithms Reliability and Survivability.
 Graph theoretic techniques for networks.
 Optical Networks.
 Wireless Networking.

What is a Network?

Network = graph Network = graph

1. Informally an Informally a graph is a set of nodes joined by a set of lines or is a set

of nodes joined by a set of lines or arrows.

Representing a problem as a graph can provide a different point of view and as a graph can
make a problem much simpler

What makes a problem graph-like?

There are two components to a graph are Nodes and edges, in graph-like problems, these
components have natural correspondences to problem elements, entities are nodes and
interactions between entities are edges and most complex systems are graph-like.

Example:
Graph: A graph is a series of points called nodes that are joined by lines called branches or
arcs.
Network: A network is a graph that presents some type of flow in its branches. For
example, a graph whose flow in its branches is electricity is an electrical network. In
networks a specific symbology is used to denote its size and elements that constitute it,
this notation is (N, A) where N represents the number of nodes contained in the network
and A represents the number of arcs or branches.
String: A string corresponds to a series of branching elements that go from one node to
another. In the following case, a string that goes from node 1 to node 7.
Path: A path corresponds to the nodes that make up a string.
Cycle: A cycle corresponds to the chain that joins a node with itself.

Bibliography
 https://www.springer.com/series/6344
 Idous & Wilson, Graphs and Applications. An Introductory Approach , Springer, 2000
 Wasserman & Faust, Social Network Analysis, Cambridge University Press, 2008.
 ingenieriaindustrialonline.com/investigacion-de-operaciones/teoria-de-redes/