Simple Measure of Network Reliability Using the Variance of the Degree Distribution

simple measure of the reliability of a non-regular, undirected, unweighted, connected network is introduced using the variance of the degree distribution of the network. A physical argument for the importance of variance in network reliability, followed by an analytical derivation of the difference between the reliability of a general network and a regular network are presented. The theoretical results are verified by numerical calculation that compares the reliability of networks, taken from an ensemble of networks with same number of nodes and links. The numerical results confirm the negative and linear correlation between the variance of the degree distribution of the network and the logarithm of its reliability. This theory provides a simple and efficient way in the comparison of reliability of two networks with same number of nodes and links.

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