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From: bulko@ut-sally.UUCP (William C. Bulko)
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: Small World Redux
Message-ID: <1308@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 14-Mar-85 00:03:07 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.1308
Posted: Thu Mar 14 00:03:07 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 16-Mar-85 03:06:29 EST
References: <542@ahutb.UUCP>
Reply-To: bulko@ut-sally.UUCP (William C. Bulko)
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 22
Summary: 

[ bug off! ]


I remember reading an article a looooong time ago, in which a mathematician
(discussing probability) stated that you could connect any two people in
the United States by a string of no more than 5 people 95% of the time.
By "connected", he meant connected to another person by at least being
reasonably well acquainted.  For example, I could (by this theory) be
"connected" to Dan Rather because my father's neighbor's sister-in-law's
dentist is Dan Rather's neighbor's grandson, or something like that.  (And
19 out of 20 times -- 95% -- you could find a string like that.)  Does
anyone remember reading this and can quote the source?

     I always wondered how this mathematician arrived at his numbers. . .


-- 
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		    "To err is human;  to admit it is not."
Bill Bulko					Department of Computer Sciences
The University of Texas      {ihnp4,harvard,gatech,ctvax,seismo}!ut-sally!bulko
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