Nodes and Arcs
A student learning graph theory compares abstract nodes and arcs to social media.
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Free for classrooms, worksheets, slides and other non-commercial use under CC BY-NC 4.0, with credit to Ben Orlin.
Cartoon by Ben Orlin, Math with Bad Drawings. https://cartoons.mathwithbaddrawings.com/2018-05-10-nodes-and-arcs/ (CC BY-NC 4.0)Transcript
A: "I don't get it. What are arcs and nodes, exactly?" B: "It doesn't matter. Arcs are just meaningless 'connections'; nodes are just empty 'things connected.'" [Board: a graph with labeled arc and node]
A: "Oh, I see! Meaningless connections, empty entities — it's like social media." B: "No, it's... well, yes, but what I mean is..."