[antt]

Real social networks aren't even networks, they are simplexes.

[swsieber]

Ok. I don't know the word simplex, but after brief googling, it looks like simplexes are a type of network.

Could you explain what you mean a little bit more?

[arcticfox]

Why are they simplexes? I'm reading about simplexes, and having a hard time visualizing how they map to social networks

[antt]

The hyper volumes between vertices can have single weights. Say you have a pump that is contaminated with cholera. You can either model the pump as a node on the graph with every person drinking from it being connected by an edge, allow an arbitrary number of edges between any two nodes, or allow for a relationship that can connect an arbitrary number of nodes.

I built a rather sophisticated simplex based trade analyser for one of my contracts for a broker trader. From what I've heard it's given them an edge since no one even knows about it. It's been three years so my NDA and non-compete are finished. I might get around to writing it up if I don't get hired to do another one.

[kmill]

Maybe you mean something like a simplicial complex? I don't understand how you can do very much with a single simplex (which is a generalization of a triangle and a tetrahedron in the language I'm used to).

[therein]

I think he is talking about a simplex tree.

[dredmorbius]

Your comment informs little.

Do you mean that real social networks are to networks as tensors are to vectors? More dimensions?

If so, what do those dimensions represent?

Or am I missing your point (which is ... not very clearly made).