Less-than sign Less-than sign The "less-than sign" is a mathematical symbol that denotes an inequality between two values. The widely adopted form of two equal-length strokes connecting in an acute angle at the left, <, has been found in documents dated as far back as the 1560s. In typical mathematical usage, the less-than sign is typically placed between the two values being compared and signals that the first number is less than the second number. Examples of typical usage include "½ < 1" and "−2 < 1". Since the development of computer programming languages, the less-than sign and the greater-than sign have
Six degrees of separation We should select any person from the 1.5 billion inhabitants of the Earth – anyone, anywhere at all. He bet us that, using no more than "five" individuals, one of whom is a personal acquaintance, he could contact the selected individual using nothing except the network of personal acquaintances. This idea both directly and indirectly influenced a great deal of early thought on social networks. Karinthy has been regarded as the originator of the notion of six degrees of separation. A related theory deals with the quality of connections, rather than their existence. The theory of three degrees of influence