6 degrees of separation.

[nix-j-c]

Did anyone watch the programme 'six degrees of separation'? I can't remember exactly when it was on but it was in the last couple of weeks on bbc something.

Through it I have realised that I am only 3 steps from Gordon Brown which means 4 from all world leaders. (I assume the PM knows all the world leaders or at least most of them)

So if i'm that close to GB doesn't that mean i'm also only 4 steps from the queen?

[nix-j-c]

So how many steps away from famous people are you?

You have to know someone who knows someone who knows someone . . . .

But every person that is directly next to any other person in the chain must know each other on first name terms. (even though GB has to call the queen you majesty that still counts)

[jake-the-peg]

The six degrees of separation comes partly from an experiment that was done in the 60s.

People were sent letters describing someone and asked to give that person the letter - if they did not know the person, they should pass the letter to the person they knew that they thought was most likely to know them. The number of steps was measured.

Great experiment read about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_world_exper iment

However there are problems with it - this was just done in the US. A lot of chains will never be completed and you may have some completely isolated people - I don't think any were addressed to Amish for example.

It was also before the Internet which has changed peoples networking quite considerably

[Daniela36]

This is very confusing to someone like me who hasn't seen the programme.
Too early in the morning too for my brain to get to grips with all those 'someones'
:-)

[nix-j-c]

Ok I'll use names. Seeing as they are well known people it doesn't matter.

I know Nigel who works for the local MP.

So Nigel knows the local MP called Bob.

Because Bob is a labour MP and used to be quite ihgh up but kind of semi-retired he knows Gordon.

And Gordon the PM knows the queen and mostof the other world leaders.

[nix-j-c]

Get it know?

Yes the only problem with this is that you get isolated tribes of women.

In the programme, the scientist conducting the experiment got someone to send i think 40 envelopes to random people around the world who had to get it back to him.

One of the people was someone in a small isolated village in Africa. After a few days she realised that the only way to get the envelope out of the village was through her sister who was lucky enough to be educated and know living in a city. So it eventualy reached the scientist.
At the end of the programme there was so far 3 of the envelopes that had reached the scientist. the one i jsut mentioned took 6 step another took 5 and anther took 8 i think.

[nix-j-c]

I don'tknow why i said isolated tribes of women. I think i was already thinking about the African woman who was given an evelope.

[woottonmel]

Hi nix-j-c

I saw the programme (for anyone who didn't, there's loads of info about it if you search on Google). They mentioned the 'bacon number' after someone (at a pub) started working out how many steps there were between the actor Kevin Bacon and other actors in Hollywood. On a more serious note, some research has been done - the theory seems to work as long as there are certain 'hubs' in a network .. hubs being people who know lots of others. In my case, I have a friend who has been in correspondence recently with Tony Benn. Tony presumably knows lots of other mp's including GB. I am probably not that far removed from David Baddeil or Frank Skinner either as my partner is friends with Rob Newman's mum!