Small-world network

A small-world network is like a neighbourhood. It has a few close friends or family members (short connections), and then a lot of acquaintances who also know each other (long connections). All the friends and family in the neighbourhood are connected (like a web or net) and each person can reach any other person through these connections. This kind of network is called a small-world network because even though there are lots of people, each person is only a few steps away from everyone else.