There are many cliches about how we’re all in the same boat.

But, how interconnected are we?

Does the math about six degrees of separation hold up?

My own numbers say yes! (* okay, there’s a footnote, as I’m still updating these…)

There are only 5 people between me and all 300 million people in the U.S.

Also, there are only 5 people between me and all 6.4 billion people in the world.

Now, how did I get that number?

The short answer and foot note: It’s based on my own connections though the business social networking site LinkedIn. By looking closely at the numbers of people I’m connected to, the ratios of how many each of those are connected to (excluding any overlapping connections), and the ratios for the third level of connections, I’m able to see a major piece of the puzzle.

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