DISPERSION
Charles François (2004). DISPERSION, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 949.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 949 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
Capacity of a complex system to detect, either simultaneously or in an alternative way, some inputs or stimuli, by way of different perceptive and transmissive subsystems.
ASHBY, who introduced this notion, gives the following examples:
- “The point to point representation of the retina on the visual cortex, for instance ensures that the dispersion achieved in the retina will at least not been lost (1960, p.180).
- “…if a beam of radiation of wave-length 0,5Template:Ency symim is directed to the face, the eye will be stimulated, but not the skin; so the optic nerve will be excited, but not the trigeminal. But if the wave-length is increased beyond 0.8Template:Ency symim , the excitation changes from the optic nerve to the trigeminal (p.179).
In other words, dispersion enhances adaptive polyvalence.