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Network science
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<p>Network science is an academic field which studies <a href="/facts/Complex_network/6zTa9z4e">complex networks</a> such as <a href="/facts/Telecommunication_network/NFCX0STS">telecommunication networks</a>, <a href="/facts/Computer_network/3w5RM99p">computer networks</a>, <a href="/facts/Biological_network/HonxLhWT">biological networks</a>, <a href="/facts/Cognitive_network/H8atcCzd">cognitive</a> and <a href="/facts/Semantic_network/mt7FlP53">semantic networks</a>, and <a href="/facts/Social_network/kQg6aEVf">social networks</a>, considering distinct elements or actors represented by <i>nodes</i> (or <i>vertices</i>) and the connections between the elements or actors as <i>links</i> (or <i>edges</i>). The field draws on theories and methods including <a href="/facts/Graph_theory/VVPCd4TX">graph theory</a> from mathematics, <a href="/facts/Statistical_mechanics/6zMsNYYG">statistical mechanics</a> from physics, <a href="/facts/Data_mining/AH53q5ac">data mining</a> and <a href="/facts/Information_visualization/DSHteV85">information visualization</a> from computer science, <a href="/facts/Inferential_statistics/sJLjubxm">inferential modeling</a> from statistics, and <a href="/facts/Social_structure/MyCzKt4H">social structure</a> from sociology. The <a href="/facts/United_States_National_Research_Council/AdYmBBGV">United States National Research Council</a> defines network science as "the study of network representations of physical, biological, and social phenomena leading to predictive models of these phenomena." </p>