Facebook researchers have developed an algorithm that can predict relationships and likelihood of breakups using a metric called "dispersion" which looks at connections between a person's different social circles. The algorithm was able to correctly identify dating relationships 60% of the time compared to 2% for random guessing. Couples were also 50% more likely to break up in the next two months if the algorithm failed to identify them as dating. Dispersion was found to be the most accurate way to determine romantic relationships compared to other metrics like event attendance or messages. However, the algorithm may fail to account for fake or joking relationships listed on Facebook profiles.

1. Key Terms…
Break up or not?
spouse: esposo(a)
break up: separar↲
claiming to have: alegando
ter
↲
accurately: precisamente↲
in danger: em perigo
sets: grupos↲
Close friends: Amigos
íntimos
embeddedness:
“incorporado/embutido”-tude
buddies: amigos↲
kickball league: kickball liga↲
Relatives: Parentes
the most overall accurate
metric: o mais preciso
métrico de todos
Facebook researchers are trying to
predict when you and your spouse
will break up
A Cornell professor and a senior Facebook engineer are
claiming to have developed a Facebook algorithm
that can accurately identify who you’re dating and,
especially for new relationships, whether you’re in
danger of breaking up.
The algorithm depends on a new metric the researchers
are calling “disperson,” which looks at connections
between people who have different sets of friends.
Close friends are likely to share a lot of friends in
common, which social scientists call “embeddedness.”
But people in romantic relationships tend to connect
each other to different spheres: for example, a husband
is likely to introduce his wife to his work friends, college
buddies, and members of his kickball league, with
whom she may not have any other connections in
common.
Relatives may also show this same “dispersion”
dynamic, the researchers say.
Dispersion turned out to be the most overall
accurate metric

2. dating: namorando com↲
accuracy: exatidão, precisão
random guessing:
adivinhação aleatória
couples: casais
such as: tal como
attendance: presença
turned out to be: acabou
sendo
↲
effort: esforço
crunch: calcular↲
meaningful: significativo
marketers: comerciantes
would fail: fracassaria
fake relationships:
relacionamentos falsos
joke: piada
declaring themselves:
declarando-se
engaged: noivado
hook up with: “ficar com”↲
spokesperson: porta-voz
The researchers were able to identify who was dating
whom with 60 percent accuracy, much better than the
2 percent accuracy they’d get from random guessing.
High dispersion also seems to be correlated with longer
relationships. The study found that couples were 50
percent more likely to break up in the next two months
if the dispersion algorithm failed to guess that they were
dating.
The scientists also looked at metrics such as how many
times a user viewed another’s profile, attendance at
the same events, and messages sent. Dispersion turned
out to be the most overall accurate metric for
determining romantic relationships. The researchers
used multiple sets of anonymous data, including a large
data set from 1.3 million Facebook users.
The study shows the enormous effort being made to
crunch Facebook data into something meaningful for
marketers. However, it’s easy to see where the
algorithm would fail. For example, many Facebook
users list fake relationships as a joke, declaring
themselves to be “married” or “engaged” to their
best friends. The method also assumes that you, all your
friends, your spouse, and all your spouse’s friends are
active on Facebook.
Of course, this is nothing new. Remember when Mark
Zuckerberg wanted to predict who you would hook up
with
Update, 6:05PM: A Facebook spokesperson sent a

3. break up separar
The discontinuance of a relationship, as a marriage or a friendship.
She broke up with her boyfriend last week.
Tom and Mary might break up. ↔
Tom e Mary poderiam terminar.
I don’t want to break up with you. ↔
Eu não quero romper com você.
claiming to have alegando ter
O caminho que une Montegrande com Cochiguaz, em algum momento foi o
centro das comunidades esotéricas que afirmavam ter contato com
extraterrestres. ↔
A road runs between Montegrande and Cochiguaz, a one-time center for
paranormal communities claiming to have contacted extraterrestrials.
accurately precisamente
My watch is very accurate. ↔
O meu relógio é muito preciso.
I don’t remember my father’s face accurately. ↔
Não lembro com exatidão a cara de meu pai.
sets grupos
statement: declaração
findings: resultados
currently: atualmente
features: recursos,
ferramentas
ranking: classificação (em
termos de importância)
statement about the study: “The specific findings
from this study are not currently being used in making
News Feed a better product. It has helped the team
think about things and informed some of the features
we use in ranking, but we are not using the specifics in
the paper.”
Read More Here…
↱
↱
↱
↱

4. a group of people who associate together, esp a clique
buddies amigos
A good friend; a comrade.
kickball league kickball liga
dating namorando com
After eight months, he eventually started dating girls again. ↔
Depois de oito meses, ele finalmente recomeçou a ter encontros com
meninas.
turned out to be acabou sendo
It turned out to be true. ↔
Confirmou-se.
What he said turned out to be true. ↔
O que ele disse acabou virando verdade.
Accidentally, the rumor has turned out to be false. ↔
Por acaso, ficou evidente que o boato era falso.
crunch calcular
“Crunch” is similar to “bite”. However, the phrase “crunching numbers/data” is
used to mean working with lots of data, making sense of the information,
calculating things based on the data, etc.
hook up with “ficar com”
↱
↱
↱
↱
↱
↱