Preferential Attachment
Understanding this mechanism helps predict which nodes will become hubs.
Small initial advantages compound into extreme dominance through preferential attachment - timing luck gets amplified into market dominance.
Preferential attachment is the growth mechanism that creates scale-free networks: new nodes preferentially connect to existing hubs rather than random nodes. In metabolic networks, new metabolites preferentially connect to existing hubs (new reactions use common substrates like ATP rather than inventing novel cofactors). This 'rich get richer' dynamic naturally generates power-law degree distributions.
Business Application of Preferential Attachment
Preferential attachment explains why network effects compound - new websites link to popular sites (Google, Wikipedia), new employees connect to established leaders, new products integrate with dominant platforms. Understanding this mechanism helps predict which nodes will become hubs.
Preferential Attachment Appears in 2 Chapters
Examines how preferential attachment creates scale-free networks in biology and business, showing why new nodes connect to existing hubs (ATP in metabolism, Google in web links) rather than random nodes.
See how preferential attachment creates hubs →Explores the mathematical mechanism behind preferential attachment, showing how proportional probability of connection creates power-law distributions and extreme rewards for early movers.
Explore the math behind winner-take-all dynamics →