ATRACTOR

To get a better understanding of the relation between the PageRank and the probability of visiting a given web page, try the app below. We may select the number of web pages and create links between them. You may also set the rate at which each web page is chosen according to the model used for the PageRank definition (see "model"). We will be able to verify that the values for \(fr\), the frequency at which the web page is visited, get closer to the values of \(x\), the quotient between the PageRank and the total PageRank (that is, the quotient between the number of times a web page is visited and the total number of visits).

Instructions

Specific instructions: After choosing the number of web pages and defining the links, move the point that describes the rate at which the pages on the right are visited. The more to the right you place this point, the higher will this visiting rate be. To start the animation, click in . To stop the animation, click in .

If you want to change the visiting rate, stop the animations, change the point describing this rate and resume the animation. However, if you want to try new configurations, it is advisable to restart the app or use the following procedure:

• stop the animation
• move the point describing the visiting rate completely to the left
• move the point on the right, so the previously visited pages will not be recounted, hence the visiting frequencies are reset at 0
• change the configuration as described in the instructions
• move the point describing the visiting rate to the right to define the desired rate
• restart the animation

You may also try the following app. The difference with respect to this one is only in the way the results are presented, using circular graphs instead of a bar chart.