MODULE 6 ASSIGNMENT 4: Friends and Strangers Theorem
1. Three things that I significantly learned from the video clip:
The main concept used in the video was all about permutation and combination
on statistics. From the permutation of 6 people and how they are connected to each other
produced a whopping 32,768 ways of them either knowing or not knowing one another.
Another thing I learned is that in a network of people more than 3, there are always at
least 3 people that are either friends or does not know each other. By using the concept of
this theorem, various applications especially on computer science and networking can be
used, even on other various fields of engineering such as electrical, electronics and
communications, and computer engineering.
2. Three things that are still unclear to me
The example shown in the video showed an example of a network of 6 people. It
is unclear to me whether the idea of at least three people having certain relations to each
other is still possible for a group of people less than 6. I was also wondering if it would
be possible to apply such concepts and ideas of the theorem in certain practical field of
engineering and sciences such as those that involves circuits, networking and data
analysis. I was also wondering who ever thought of incorporating mathematical concepts
in counting the relationships between friends and strangers.
3. I used to think that
There are only a few to none mathematics involved when it comes to such things
(friendships and relationships). However from this video clip, I’ve come to understand
that certain concepts and ideas used in the advanced mathematics nd engineering of
cricuits and networking are somehow derived from simple ideas such as this friends and
strangers theorem, or it may even be the other way around.
4. Three questions that I want to ask about the video
Would the idea that at least 3 people are all either friends or strangers still be
applicable in a group of people consisting of less than 6 individuals? Is the concept
regarding this theorem formulated from other concepts of networking and graphing or
was it merely thought of out of nowhere by some mathematician perhaps? Lastly, who
had the idea of incorporating math when it comes to friends and relationships?