Networks Illustrated: Principles without Calculus
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Networks Illustrated: Principles without Calculus
Princeton University
About this Course
4.4
40 ratings
What makes WiFi faster at home than at a coffee shop? How does Google order its search results from the trillions of webpages on the Internet? Why does Verizon charge $15 for every GB of data we use? Is it really true that we are connected in six social steps or less?
These are just a few of the many intriguing questions we can ask about the social and technical networks that form integral parts of our daily lives. This course is about exploring the answers, using a language that anyone can understand. We will focus on fundamental principles like “sharing is hard”, “crowds are wise”, and “network of networks” that have guided the design and sustainability of today’s networks, and summarize the theories behind everything from the social connections we make on platforms like Facebook to the technology upon which these websites run.
Unlike other networking courses, the mathematics included here are no more complicated than adding and multiplying numbers. While mathematical details are necessary to fully specify the algorithms and systems we investigate, they are not required to understand the main ideas. We use illustrations, analogies, and anecdotes about networks as pedagogical tools in lieu of detailed equations.
Please note that per Princeton University policy, no certificates, credentials or reports are awarded in connection with this course.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week
1Introduction
An introduction to what this course is about: the fundamentals behind social and technical networks.
5 videos (Total 39 min), 3 readings
5 videos
Sharing Is Hard & Ranking is Hard8m
Crowds Are Wise & Crowds Are Not So Wise7m
Network Is Expensive & Divide and Conquer7m
End to End & Bigger And Bigger8m
3 readings
About Us10m
Suggested Readings and Links10m
Keep in Touch10m
Power Control in Cellular Networks
How is it possible that we can all communicate effectively without disrupting each other's calls, messages, or Internet usage? In this lesson, we will take a look at some of the methods that have been developed for letting us "share" the air over which our phones communicate.
21 videos (Total 125 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
21 videos
Multiple Access6m
FDMA8m
0G4m
Attenuation5m
Cells & 1G9m
2G3m
TDMA4m
CDMA8m
Cocktail Party Analogy4m
Near-far Problem8m
SIR5m
DPC7m
DPC Computation: Part A11m
Negative Feedback3m
DPC Computation: Part B 7m
Convergence3m
Distributed Computation3m
Handoffs3m
CDMA & 3G5m
Summary2m
1 reading
Power of Networks10m
1 practice exercise
Problem Set #130m
Week
2Random Access in Wifi Networks
In this lesson, we will investigate WiFi, another type of wireless network. Rather than having stringent power control algorithms as we saw for cellular, WiFi relies on "random access" methods to manage interference among users in the same location.
15 videos (Total 98 min), 1 reading
15 videos
Traffic Analogy4m
WiFi Standards5m
WiFi Deployment6m
Accessing WiFi10m
Interference7m
Controlled vs. Random Access6m
Random Access Protocols & ALOHA7m
ALOHA Successful Transmission5m
ALOHA Throughput7m
ALOHA Inscalability8m
CSMA Carrier Sensing5m
CSMA Backoff7m
CSMA vs. ALOHA5m
Summary3m
1 reading
Power of Networksm
PageRank by Google
In this lesson, we will take a look at PageRank, Google's famous algorithm for ordering the results on its search page. PageRank is a prime example of how coming up with the right "ranking" of a set of items is a difficult yet important question in networking.
11 videos (Total 67 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
11 videos
Search Engines7m
Webgraphs8m
In-degree3m
The "Random Surfer"7m
Importance Equations5m
PageRank Example Calculation10m
PageRank Example Summary5m
Dangling Nodes & Disconnected Graph6m
Robust Ranking3m
Summary3m
1 reading
Power of Networksm
1 practice exercise
Problem Set #230m
Week
3Product Rating on Amazon
The decision of whether or not to purchase something online is often driven by the ratings that previous customers have left for it. In this lesson, we will take a look at Amazon's review system, and the see how "crowds are wise" is another important networking principle.
11 videos (Total 69 min), 1 reading
11 videos
Average Ratings10m
The Wisdom of Crowds10m
Rating Aggregation Challenges4m
Naive Averaging5m
Bayesian Ranking: Part I5m
Bayesian Ranking: Part II9m
Bayesian Ranking in Practice5m
What does Amazon do? Part I5m
What does Amazon do? Part II5m
Summary3m
1 reading
Power of Networksm
Movie Recommendation on Netflix
One of the perks of having a Netflix subscription is getting recommendations of movies to watch. Behind the scenes, Netflix uses powerful algorithms to determine which will be suggested to each person specifically. In this lesson, we will take a look at the main ideas behind these algorithms.
18 videos (Total 111 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
18 videos
Video Streaming5m
Recommendation is Everywhere3m
Netflix Recommendation System5m
Netflix Prize: Logistics7m
Netflix Prize: The Competition4m
Our Example3m
Raw Average7m
User-movie Interactions7m
Baseline Predictor6m
Similarity4m
Cosine Similarity9m
Similarity Values10m
Leveraging Similarity8m
Neighborhood Predictor4m
Performance of Different Methods3m
Summary3m
Copy of Cosine Similarity9m
1 reading
Power of Networksm
1 practice exercise
Problem Set #330m
Week
4Midterm
1 quiz
1 practice exercise
Midtermm
Instructors
Christopher Brinton
LecturerElectrical Engineering
Mung Chiang
ProfessorElectrical Engineering
About Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. It is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
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Is financial aid available?
Can I earn a certificate in this course?
No. As per Princeton University policy, no certificates, credentials, or reports are awarded in connection with this course.
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