Formal a priori power analysis of elements of a communication graph

Abstract

This paper presents the idea of measuring the formal impact of elements of a communication graph structure consisting of nodes and arcs on its entirety or subparts. Arcs and nodes, depending on the context, can be assigned different interpretations. E.g. in game theory its nodes may represent the players, often referred to as policy makers and arcs symbolize the relationships between them. In another context, however, nodes and arcs of the graph represent elements of technical infrastructure, e.g. a computer. The graph representing the tested relationships is called the communication graph and the influence of the elements on the entire graph (or its subpart) is referred to as power of the element. Taking into account the power of nodes and connections creates so-called incidencepower matrix more completely than the one formerly describing the communication graph.