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A Social Network Model for Innovation in Early Aviation History

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Explorations in the History of Machines and Mechanisms

Part of the book series: History of Mechanism and Machine Science ((HMMS,volume 15))

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Abstract

Using data from many historical studies of early aviation, we present evidence that early advances in aviation were the result of an evolving social network with more than eighty nodes and over three hundred links. The node-link distribution is shown to be similar to a scale-free, power law behavior, characteristic of modern social networks such as the World-Wide-Web. This study suggests that technical innovation and invention in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries flourished through complex social networks commonly assumed to be unique to the twenty-first century.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    Francis C. Moon

Authors
  1. Francis C. Moon
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Correspondence to Francis C. Moon .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Mathematics, VU University, De Boelelaan 1081, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, Netherlands

    Teun Koetsier

  2. , Laboratory of Robotics & Mechatronics, University of Cassino, Via di Biasio 43, Cassino, 03043, Italy

    Marco Ceccarelli

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Moon, F.C. (2012). A Social Network Model for Innovation in Early Aviation History. In: Koetsier, T., Ceccarelli, M. (eds) Explorations in the History of Machines and Mechanisms. History of Mechanism and Machine Science, vol 15. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4132-4_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4132-4_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-007-4131-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-4132-4

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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