INTEGRATE AND FIRE MECHANISM
Charles François (2004). INTEGRATE AND FIRE MECHANISM, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 1724.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1724 ▶ |
| Object type | Human sciences, Methodology or model |
A natural mechanism that leads to the synchronization of two oscillators .
Ian STEWART writes: “… the oscillations are created by a mechanism known as integrate and fire. In such a setting some quantity builds up (that is, the phase increases) until it reaches a threshold . Crossing this value triggers a sudden action - fire ( or in the case of fireflies, flash) - after which the quantity resets to zero and starts to accumulate again…
- “Such oscillators are said to be ”coupled“, meaning that one affects the state of the others. The classic example is the observation made by the great Dutch physicist Christian HUYGHENS (1629-1695) that pendulum clocks on the same shelf affect one another through the vibrations of the shelf” (I. STEWART, 1999, p.86).
As the elements in the coupled oscillators interact in an ordered and cyclical sequential way, this phenomenon is thus a very basic social one.