Complex Network Analysis in Python

Locate Isolates

The smallest distinct element of any network is an isolate: a node that is not connected to any other node (an isolate can still be connected to itself with a loop edge). Though isolates belong to a bigger network, their very existence is against the networking spirit, because the whole idea of networking is that of connectedness. An example of an isolate in a semantic network is a word that has no synonyms, no homonyms, no antonyms, and no other relationships to any other word (say, “sphygmomanometer” in a network of simple synonyms—because it has none). An example of an isolate in a product network is an item that nobody ever buys together with any other item. The last meal comes to mind, but then, again, nobody pays for the ...