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networkx.algorithms.approximation.clustering_coefficient.average_clustering

average_clustering(G, trials=1000, seed=None)[source]

Estimates the average clustering coefficient of G.

The local clustering of each node in G is the fraction of triangles that actually exist over all possible triangles in its neighborhood. The average clustering coefficient of a graph G is the mean of local clusterings.

This function finds an approximate average clustering coefficient for G by repeating n times (defined in trials) the following experiment: choose a node at random, choose two of its neighbors at random, and check if they are connected. The approximate coefficient is the fraction of triangles found over the number of trials [1].

Parameters:
  • G (NetworkX graph)
  • trials (integer) – Number of trials to perform (default 1000).
  • seed (integer, random_state, or None (default)) – Indicator of random number generation state. See Randomness.
Returns:

c – Approximated average clustering coefficient.
Return type:

float

References

[1]Schank, Thomas, and Dorothea Wagner. Approximating clustering coefficient and transitivity. Universität Karlsruhe, Fakultät für Informatik, 2004. http://www.emis.ams.org/journals/JGAA/accepted/2005/SchankWagner2005.9.2.pdf