Library / Networks / Preferential Attachment

Preferential Attachment

New links favor already-linked nodes, manufacturing power laws from pure growth.

hub
hubs spread, bridges surprise · recreated schematic
INTERACTIVE LAB

Tolerance sandbox (original recreation)

happy 76% • avg. similar neighbors 49% • red ring = wants to move

NETWORKS

When to use / misuse

Use → Citations, followers, city pull. Seed early visibility deliberately.

Difficulty → Core

REDCAPE → Explain · Predict

agent: preferential-checker
family: Networks
combine_with: [two other families]
rule: state failure mode before acting

Free sources: SFI Fractals & Scaling

← LibrarySee Playbook →
◍ Ask mentor about this →See REDCAPE playbook →

Attach to a lattice — combines with

Different families, shared jobs. Click to open alongside.

GROWTH
Exponential & Solow Growth
Compounding plus capital, labor and ideas explain why some economies stall.
SHARED JOBS: EXPLAIN · PREDICT
DIFFUSION
Percolation / Tipping Points
Sparse links suddenly gel into a giant component — bank networks and blackouts tip fast.
SHARED JOBS: EXPLAIN · PREDICT
DISTRIBUTIONS
Power Law / Long Tail
Rich-get-richer: a few huge winners, many tiny players. Straight line on log-log.
SHARED JOBS: EXPLAIN · PREDICT

More in Networks

Schelling Segregation
Mild individual preference for similar neighbors aggregates to stark city-wide segregation.
Granovetter Threshold
Each person has a riot threshold; cascades depend on the distribution, not the average.
Standing Ovation (Page–Miller)
Quality plus sightlines plus personal thresholds explain why crowds stand — or don't.
← Network Structure & FormationSIR Contagion →