Network as a Matrix

Summary

Chapter 7 delves into the mathematical framework of network coding in depth. Heretofore we have been focused on understanding practical use cases and the application of network coding concepts in real‐world implementation. Here we consider mathematical abstractions of networks, including even more complex networks than those we discussed previously, to uncover further benefits of network coding. Ideas including representing the network as a matrix, the algebraic formulation of network coding, and network coding in a multicast setting with multiple sources are also discussed in this chapter. Additionally, a generalized version of the network coding problem is included to encompass more complex scenarios.