DISTRIBUTION (Hexagonal)
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 965 ▶ |
| Object type | Human sciences, Methodology or model |
A distribution characterized by the shaping of hexagonal structural and functional nets.
The hexagonal distribution model has been proposed from widely aparted quarters.
It appeared in hydrodynamics in BÉNARD's dissipative cells structures, which are produced in a boiling liquid through convective currents resulting from differences of temperatures when the liquid is heated up to boiling point in a vessel.
Dissipative structures (not necessarily hexagonal) became later on a very important tool in Thermodynamics of systems far from equilibrium.
This type of description was also introduced by W. CHRISTALLER (1933, 1937), describing the embedded and concentrical hexagonal nets which appear in many human settlements. This theory was considerably extended by A. LÖSCH. (1944). See “Hexagonal space filling”.
The reasons explaining hexagonal distribution are now clearer: in an isotropic space various competing dissipation processes in reciprocal contact adopt an hexagonal repartition seemingly because it is the most efficient manner to occupy space. However, as no space is absolutely isotropic, the model is only an approximation.