GROWTH CURVES
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1481 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
Growth is a very general feature of processes and systems. It has however also quite diversified characteristics in different cases.
The following listing is a selection of the most useful growth curves related to specific types of processes:
1. Asymptotic: permanently slowing down growth
2. Chreodic: periodic (fluctuating) growth within a growth trend
3. Exponential: permanently accelerating growth (i.e. explosive)
4. Lineal: constant arithmetic proportional growth
5. Logarithmic: exponential growth defined by a characteristic exponent
6. Logistic: an accelerating growth phase preceeding a decelerating growth phase, due to a negative feedback
7. Normal (Gaussian): statistical distribution (Bell shaped curve) that can also represent a growth and decay sequence
8. Periodic: fluctuating growth or dynamic oscillations around a median. Frequently superposed on another curve
9. Semi-logarithmic: growth expressed in percentages (ratio scale)
Without being a growth phenomenon , celestial bodies orbits are also described by geometric curves iin the time dimension. they can be hyperbolic, parabolic or elliptic. In this case, they are periodical, but their periodicity may be variable and unstable
See also
Chaos, Criticality (self-organized, chaos, curve (Involving), Cycles, Fourier analysis, Power laws, Self similarity in the Weierstrass function, Vortex