GROWTH (Allometric)
Charles François (2004). GROWTH (Allometric), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 1476.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1476 ▶ |
| Object type | Human sciences, Methodology or model |
- “The relation of the growth of a part or organ to that of the whole organism” (C.R. REEVE & J. HUXLEY, in HUXLEY, 1972, p.267).
This relation corresponds to the formula y = bxa or log y = log b + a.log.x, given by C.R. REEVE and J. HUXLEY (Ibid). R. NAROLL and L.von BERTALANFFY showed later on that the allometric growth relation can also be applied in sociology and gave some examples, as follows:
- number of services establishments, factories and retailers in relation to urban population.
- differentiation between specialized trades in relation to population.
- urbanization in relation to total population (l956, p.76-89).
It should be noted that different trends may appear during the allometric growth process. They are probably related to differential acceleration and saturation factors which intervene at different times, particularly in logistic growth.