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Hub (network science)
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<p>In <a href="/facts/Network_science/Ul7FMUg3">network science</a>, a hub is a <a href="/facts/Node_(networking)/LBp2vNcJ">node</a> with a number of links that greatly exceeds the average. Emergence of hubs is a consequence of a scale-free property of networks.: 27 While hubs cannot be observed in a random network, they are expected to emerge in <a href="/facts/Scale-free_network/2ENlcjX3">scale-free networks</a>. The uprise of hubs in scale-free networks is associated with power-law distribution. Hubs have a significant impact on the <a href="/facts/Network_topology/rBYE0kke">network topology</a>. Hubs can be found in many real networks, such as the <a href="/facts/Brain/EKla9NkJ">brain</a> or the <a href="/facts/Internet/Xw1rVvJU">Internet</a>. </p> <p>A hub is a component of a network with a high-degree <a href="/facts/Vertex_(graph_theory)/WhlWmL3o">node</a>. Hubs have a significantly larger number of links in comparison with other nodes in the network. The number of links (<a href="/facts/Degree_(graph_theory)/LnFFpI8v">degrees</a>) for a hub in a scale-free network is much higher than for the biggest node in a random network, keeping the size <i>N</i> of the network and average degree <i><k></i> constant. The existence of hubs is the biggest difference between random networks and scale-free networks. In random networks, the degree <i>k</i> is comparable for every node; it is therefore not possible for hubs to emerge. In scale-free networks, a few nodes (hubs) have a high degree <i>k</i> while the other nodes have a small number of links. </p>