A Multilevel Simplification Algorithm for Computing the Average Shortest-Path Length of Scale-Free Complex Network

Abstract

Computing the average shortest-path length (ASPL) of a large scale-free network needs much memory space and computation time. Based on the feature of scale-free network, we present a simplification algorithm by cutting the suspension points and the connected edges; the ASPL of the original network can be computed through that of the simplified network. We also present a multilevel simplification algorithm to get ASPL of the original network directly from that of the multisimplified network. Our experiment shows that these algorithms require less memory space and time in computing the ASPL of scale-free network, which makes it possible to analyze large networks that were previously impossible due to memory limitations.