A random graph is a type of graph where edges between nodes are formed randomly based on some
probability model. The most common model for a random graph is the Erdős-Rényi (ER) model, where
each edge between two nodes exists with a fixed probability.
According to Erdős-Rényi (ER) model:
fixed p ∈ [0,1], a random graph G(n,p) on n vertices is a subgraph of G = (V,E) obtained by
Let V be a collection of n vertices, and let E be the collection of all possible edges between them. For a
independently deleting each edge e ∈ E with probability 1 − p (equivalently, independently drawing
each edge e ∈E with probability p).
Key Concepts of Random Graphs:
1. Nodes (Vertices): Represent the entities (e.g., people, websites, computers).
2. Edges: Represent the relationships or connections between the nodes (e.g., friendships,
links, network connections).
3. ER Model:
o G(n,p)G(n, p): A random graph with nn nodes, where each pair of nodes has a
probability pp of being connected.
o G(n,M)G(n, M): A random graph with nn nodes and exactly MM edges, where
the edges are chosen randomly.
4. Degree: The degree of a node is the number of edges connected to it. In random graphs,
degrees typically follow a Poisson distribution.
Example of a Random Graph:
Let’s create a small random graph with the following setup:
n=5n = 5 (5 nodes).
p=0.4p = 0.4 (Each edge has a 40% chance of existing).
Step 1: Nodes and Edge Probabilities
There are 5 nodes labeled as A,B,C,D,EA, B, C, D, E. For each pair of nodes, we decide
randomly whether an edge exists based on the probability p=0.4p = 0.4.
All possible pairs of nodes:
(A,B),(A,C),(A,D),(A,E)(A, B), (A, C), (A, D), (A, E)
(B,C),(B,D),(B,E)(B, C), (B, D), (B, E)
(C,D),(C,E)(C, D), (C, E)
(D,E)(D, E)
Number of possible edges = (52)=10\binom{5}{2} = 10.
E:C
Applications of Random Graphs:
1. Network Connectivity: Studying how connectivity changes as pp increases (e.g., in
communication networks).
2. Spread of Information or Disease: Modeling how information or diseases spread over
random connections.
3. Epidemic Threshold: Random graphs are used to find critical probabilities for disease
spread.
Social Networks: Early models of social networks used random graphs to study connectivity and
clustering.