Each of us has ever thought about how huge and immense world, about how much the world is absolutely different people.Despite the differences in age, gender, skin color, all people are connected.Sometimes you can even wonder how much everyone has friends and acquaintances.
probably thinking deeply about this, Hungarian science fiction writer Frigyes Karinthy in 1929 wrote the story "links of the chain."That it first introduced the theory of six handshakes.It proposes to hold an unusual experiment to prove that every person can communicate with absolutely any person on the planet through a friend to each other people and, at the same time, the number will not exceed six.
In 1969, the theory was finally formed handshakes American sociologists Jeffrey Travers and Stanley Milgram.Their hypothesis was that everyone is familiar with any other through a chain of acquaintances, which is an average of five people.It conducted an interesting experiment.Residents of a small American town were given 300 envelopes.They had to send them to a particular destination through their friends.It delivered a total of 60 letters.After carrying out some calculations and analyzes, experts have come to the conclusion that each letter took an average of five people.Thus, the theory of six handshakes been proven.
Scientific and technological progress has allowed scientists from Columbia University, repeated the experiment Milgram via e-mail.It was created twenty-secret destinations.Participants discovered their names, place of residence, education, occupation.Thousands of volunteers were asked to find them through friends and acquaintances.The first who managed to successfully become a resident of Australia, who found the secret address in Siberia via the four friends.
world-famous corporation Microsoft is also interested in the theory of six handshakes.In its inspection it took them about two years.During this time it was analyzed 242 720 596 messages from members.As a result, it was found that any of the 240 million users of the service may search for another person through 6.6 on average.
6 handshakes theory formed the basis of a large number of popular games.For example, many well-known scientists, including world-famous play "Erdos Number".This name was given in honor of the Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdos.He wrote a huge amount of work, including co-authored.The essence of the game is the following: if a scientist has a job, which is written with Erdos, gets one point;If co-authored by scientists who wrote to Erdos, the two points.As you know, all the Nobel laureates have large numbers of Erdos.
One of the largest social networks Facebook is also conducted a study of this theory among its users.As a result, it was found that any two people, registered on Facebook, 4.74 shared connection.
Popular CIS social network VKontakte has launched the application "Chain of friends - the theory of six handshakes."It allows you to make a chain of acquaintances among the network users.Due to the fact that the audience VKontakte several limitations, the results are slightly different.Basically chains have a size of three to four people.An interesting fact is that the longer the chain of six people does not occur.This, in turn, confirms the original theory.
addition of various experiments, the theory handshakes reflected in film.It formed the basis for the plot of such famous films as "Christmas Tree", "Love Actually."
Through extensive research scientists and sociologists appeared joke that each of us through the five people familiar with the Queen of England.
