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What Are Complex Systems?

This document provides an overview of complex systems and the core disciplines used to study them, including dynamics, information, computation, and evolution/learning. It discusses how simple interacting elements can produce emergent and complex collective behavior through following simple rules. The goals of studying complex systems are to integrate these topics and use idealized models to better understand how complex patterns and behaviors can arise from simple systems and rules.

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66 views

What Are Complex Systems?

This document provides an overview of complex systems and the core disciplines used to study them, including dynamics, information, computation, and evolution/learning. It discusses how simple interacting elements can produce emergent and complex collective behavior through following simple rules. The goals of studying complex systems are to integrate these topics and use idealized models to better understand how complex patterns and behaviors can arise from simple systems and rules.

Uploaded by

higginscribd
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Large networks of simple interacting elements,

which, following simple rules, produce emergent,


collective, complex behavior.

What are Complex Systems?
Core Disciplines of the Sciences of Complexity
Dynamics: The study of continually changing structure and behavior of
systems

Information: The study of representation, symbols, and communication

Computation: The study of how systems process information and act on the
results

Evolution / Learning: The study of how systems adapt to constantly
changing environments
Goals of this course:

To give you a sense of how these topics are integrated in the
study of complex systems
To give you a sense of how idealized models can be used to
study these topics
What did we cover?

Lets review...
Dynamics and Chaos
Provides a vocabulary for describing how complex systems change over
time
Fixed points, periodic attractors, chaos, sensitive dependence on initial
conditions
Shows how complex behavior can arise from iteration of simple rules
Characterizes complexity in terms of dynamics
Shows contrast between intrinsic unpredictability and universal properties
Fractals
Provides geometry of real-world patterns
Shows how complex patterns can arise from iteration of simple rules
Characterizes complexity in terms of fractal dimension
Information Theory
Makes analogy between information and physical entropy
Characterizes complexity in terms of information content
Genetic Algorithms
Provides idealized models of evolution and adaptation
Demonstrates how complex behavior/shape can emerge from simple
rules (of evolution)
Cellular Automata
Idealized models of complex systems
Shows how complex patterns can emerge from iterating simple
rules
Characterizes complexity in terms of class of patterns
Models of Self-Organization
Idealized models of self-organizing behavior
Attempt to find common principles in terms of dynamics, information,
computation, and adaptation
Firefly synchronization Flocking / Schooling Ant Foraging
Ant Task Allocation

Immune System

Cellular Metabolism,


Models of Cooperation
Idealized model of how self-organized cooperation can emerge in social
systems
Demonstrates how idealized models can be used to study complex
phenomena
Prisoners dilemma El Farol Problem
Networks
Vocabulary for describing structure and dynamics of real-world
networks
small-world, scale-free, degree distribution, clustering,
path-length
Shows how real-world network structure can be captured by
simple models (e.g., preferential attachment)

Scaling
Gives clues to underlying structure and dynamics of complex
systems (e.g., fractal distribution networks)

Goals of the Science of Complexity
Cross-disciplinary insights into complex
systems
General theory?

"
Can we develop a general theory of complex systems?

That is, a mathematical language that unifies dynamics,
information processing, and evolution in complex systems ?

I.e., a calculus of complexity ?



Isaac Newton, 16431727
infinitesimal
limit
derivative
integral
He was hampered by the chaos of language
words still vaguely defined and words not
quite existing. . . . Newton believed he could
marshal a complete science of motion, if only
he could find the appropriate lexicon. . . .
! James Gleick, Isaac Newton
emergence
self-organization
network
adaptation
Complex Systems, c. 2013
attractor
criticality
information
computation
bifurcation
nonlinearity
equilibrium
entropy fractal
chaos
!
!
!
!
!
!
renormalization randomness
scaling
power law
I do not give a fig for the simplicity on this side of
complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on
the other side of complexity.
! O. W. Holmes (attr.)

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