Mathematicians have long sought to develop algorithms that can compare any two graphs. In practice, many ...

The study of such graphs is called graph theory. Engineers need to find planarity in a graph when, for example, they are designing a computer chip without a crossed wire.

Graph theory may show how individuals are connected, for example, but not capture the ways in which clusters of friends on social media influence each other’s behavior.

The field of graph theory has been around since 1736, when Leonhard Euler published an article on the subject of the Seven Bridges of Königsberg (in Prussia, today’s Kaliningrad in Russia).

However, the data on COVID-19 has a lot of puts and takes, and one of the factors not entirely considered is the graph of the infection. Graph theory has a lot to say about how phenomena can grow ...

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED Graph theory isn’t enough. The ...