réseaux

Réseaux is the French term for networks and refers to systems of interconnected entities. A réseau is defined by nodes and the links that connect them. Nodes can be devices, people, cities, or proteins, while edges represent communications, relationships, or physical connections. Networks enable the transfer of information, goods, energy, or influence across distributed environments.

Networks occur across many domains. Computer networks connect devices to share data and resources, with architectures such as local area networks, wide area networks, and the Internet, governed by communication protocols and layered models. Social networks map relationships among individuals or organizations and are analyzed to understand diffusion, influence, and community structure. Biological networks describe interactions in living systems, such as metabolic pathways, gene regulation, or neural circuits. Infrastructure networks organize transportation, electricity, water, and other utilities, where resilience matters.

Key concepts include topology, directionality and weights of connections, and metrics from graph theory such as degree, centrality, shortest paths, clustering, and communities. Analysis often involves simulating processes on networks—diffusion, contagion, or load balancing—and assessing robustness and scalability. Security, privacy, and governance are important considerations for real-world networks, shaping design choices and policy.

Historically, networks emerged with telegraphy and telecommunications, progressed through packet switching, and culminated in the Internet and global platforms. The study of networks spans computer science, physics, sociology, biology, and engineering, emphasizing both static structure and dynamic processes, with ongoing research into resilience, optimization, and privacy.