(mathematics) The property of being a small-world network.

Used to express surprise at meeting an acquaintance or discovering a personal connection in a distant place or an unexpected context.

plural of small-world network

(mathematics) A kind of graph in which most nodes are not neighbors but most can be reached from every other by a small number of steps, i.e. the typical distance between two randomly chosen nodes grows proportionally to the logarithm of the number of nodes in the network.

The phenomenon that human society resembles a small-world network with short path lengths, i.e. any two human beings tend to be linked through a small chain of friends of friends.

plural of small-world phenomenon

Alternative form of it's a small world