A five-page web where every circle's size is its rank, computed by the power iteration the formula describes — links into a page, each linker's rank split across its out-links, a damping term that lets the surfer jump anywhere. Evidence: how many iterations the ranks take to settle at two dampings; the ladder is how far a surfer walks before jumping.
Being pointed at by someone popular counts more
Imagine everyone in class points at the person they think is the best at drawing. Getting pointed at a lot makes you important — but a point from someone who is themselves pointed at a lot counts even more. Now everyone points again, using the new scores. Do it a few times and the scores stop changing. That is how a search engine decides which page comes first.
It is not how many point at you — it is who points at you.
PR(A) = (1−d)/N + d · Σ PR(Tᵢ) / C(Tᵢ)
Restless
d = 0.5
2 CLICKS
Google's choice
d = 0.85
≈7 CLICKS
Patient
d = 0.9
10 CLICKS
Rarely jumps
d = 0.99
100 CLICKS
Bars are log₁₀ of the expected clicks before a jump, 1/(1−d) — Google's 0.85 is about seven