Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/10773/29951
Title: | Darwin and Einstein correspondence patterns |
Author: | Oliveira, João Gama Barabási, Albert-László |
Keywords: | Correspondence as topic Electronic mail History, 19th Century History, 20th Century History, 21st Century Reaction time Statistics as topic Time factors |
Issue Date: | 27-Oct-2005 |
Publisher: | Nature Research |
Abstract: | In an era when letters were the main means of exchanging scientific ideas and results, Charles Darwin (1809-82) and Albert Einstein (1879-1955) were notably prolific correspondents. But did their patterns of communication differ from those associated with the instant-access e-mail of modern times? Here we show that, although the means have changed, the communication dynamics have not: Darwin's and Einstein's patterns of correspondence and today's electronic exchanges follow the same scaling laws. However, the response times of their surface-mail communication is described by a different scaling exponent from e-mail communication, providing evidence for a new class of phenomena in human dynamics. |
Peer review: | yes |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10773/29951 |
DOI: | 10.1038/4371251a |
ISSN: | 0028-0836 |
Publisher Version: | http://www.nature.com/articles/4371251a |
Appears in Collections: | DFis - Artigos |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
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Nature.437.1251.05.pdf | 188.53 kB | Adobe PDF | ||
Nature.437.1251.05.suppl_material.pdf | 118.97 kB | Adobe PDF |
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