◎張沛元

Want to know whether your Internet social network will survive or break up？

想知道你的網際網路社交網以後能繼續存在還是分道揚鑣嗎？

Try mathematics.

試試看用數學檢驗一下吧。

An algorithm developed by Tamas Vicsek of Budapest’s Eotvos University and colleagues aims at pinning down some of the mechanisms for social interaction in a complex, fast-moving world.

一套由布達佩斯的奧特佛斯大學的維斯克及其同僚所發展出來的演算法，便是以確認複雜且快速變遷世界中的某些社會互動機制為目的。

They trawled over two sets of data to explore how people link up. One was a collaborative network of more than 30,000 researchers connected to an archive at New York’s Cornell University; the other was the year-long record of communications patterns of four million mobile phone users.

他們篩選兩組資料，以探究人們如何變得有所關聯。一組資料是一個超過3萬名、與紐約康乃爾大學一份文獻有關之研究人員的共同網絡，另一組資料是4百萬名手機用戶1年來的通訊模式紀錄。

Put together, these figures provided an intriguing picture of relationship dynamics.

合併檢視後，這些數據呈現出引人入勝的關係動態景象。

The team found that small groups endure only if they have an unchanged core of members -- in other words, a clique.

該研究團隊發現，小團體只擁有不變的「成員核心」，換句話說，就是「派系」的情況下，才能續存。

新聞辭典

percolation：名詞，動詞為percolate，指滲透、濾出

trawl：名詞，拖網；動詞：用拖網捕（魚）

aim at：片語，瞄準；以…為目的。例句：China and Russia are holding their first joint military exercises aimed at boosting co-operation between the former adversaries and sending a message to the US about their growing influence.（中俄兩國目前正舉行首度聯合軍演，目的在於提升這兩個前宿敵的合作，以及對美國傳達中俄影響力與日俱增的訊息。）

pin down：片語，用針釘住；確定，證實；使受約束。例句：Scientists are studying the fruit fly in order to pin down which brain circuits and genes control learning and memory.（科學家正在研究果蠅以便確認哪些大腦神經網絡與基因負責控制學習與記憶。）

link up：片語，連接，接軌。例句：Former Cold War foes, China and Russia, link up against US might.（前冷戰敵人，中國與俄羅斯，聯手對抗美國強權。）