Something Strange Happens When You Trace How Connected We Are

The beautiful math behind six degrees of separation. Sponsored by Incogni - use code veritasium at https://incogni.com/veritasium to get an exclusive 60% off.

If you’re looking for a molecular modelling kit, try Snatoms, a kit I invented where the atoms snap together magnetically - https://ve42.co/SnatomsV

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To play around with the simulations in the video, you can follow these links:
Disease spreading - https://www.veritasium.com/simulation2
Preferential attachment - https://ve42.co/barabasiAlbertSim


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A huge thank you to:
Duncan Watts, for creating the small-world model that inspired this video and expanding on his further work; Steve Strogatz, for telling the story with such clarity & humour; Albert-László Barabási, for revealing the the inevitability and impact of hubs; Mark Buchanan, for his insightful takeaways that pulled it all together.

Check out Duncan Watts’ books here - https://www.amazon.com/Six-Deg....rees-Science-Connect
Check out Mark Buchanan’s book here - https://ve42.co/bookNexusWorlds

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Chapters:
0:00 What is six degrees of separation?
4:23 Network Shortcuts
7:11 The Strength of Weak Ties
8:20 Proving it’s a small world
10:39 How quickly can disease spread?
12:36 Strogatz goes viral
16:59 What is a network hub?
18:23 Preferential Attachment
23:38 The Prisoner’s Dilemma
28:22 Your behavior can change the world’s


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References can be found here - https://ve42.co/networksRefs

Image and video references can be found here - https://ve42.co/networksVisuals

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Special thanks to our Patreon supporters:
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Writers: James Moore, Casper Mebius & Derek Muller
Producer & Director: James Moore
Editors: Peter Nelson & Jack Saxon
Camera Operators: Derek Muller & Casper Mebius
Animators: Andrew Neet, Emma Wright, Fabio Albertelli & Ivy Tello
Illustrators: Jakub Misiek
Assistant Editor: James Stuart
Researchers: Callum Cuttle, Aakash Singh Bagga & Gabe Strong
Simulations: Callum Cuttle, Gabe Strong & Ivy Tello
Sound Designers: Pavle Peric & James Stuart
Thumbnail Designers: Abdallah Rabah, Ren Hurley & Ben Powell
Production Team: Josh Pitt, Nicola Griffiths & Rob Beasley Spence
Executive Producers: Derek Muller & Casper Mebius
Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images, Storyblocks
Music from Epidemic Sound