We introduce the concepts of closed sets and closure operators as mathematical tools for the study of social networks. Dynamic networks are represented by transformations. It is shown that under continuous change/transformation, all networks tend to "break down" and become less complex. It is a kind of entropy. The product of this theoretical decomposition is an abundance of triadically closed clusters which sociologists have observed in practice. This gives credence to the relevance of this kind of mathematical analysis in the sociological context.

@inproceedings{pfaltz2012entropy, author = {Pfaltz, John L.}, title = {Entropy in Social Networks}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the SOCINFO}, year = {2012}, keywords = {analysis, closure, entropy, network, sna, social, toread}, abstract = {We introduce the concepts of closed sets and closure operators as mathematical tools for the study of social networks. Dynamic networks are represented by transformations. It is shown that under continuous change/transformation, all networks tend to "break down" and become less complex. It is a kind of entropy. The product of this theoretical decomposition is an abundance of triadically closed clusters which sociologists have observed in practice. This gives credence to the relevance of this kind of mathematical analysis in the sociological context. } }

%0 = inproceedings %A = Pfaltz, John L. %B = Proceedings of the SOCINFO %D = 2012 %T = Entropy in Social Networks