LOGISTIC EQUATION
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1950 ▶ |
| Object type | Discipline oriented, Methodology or model |
The logistic equation was introduced in 1838 by the Belgian demographer L. VERHULST. It is generally written in two different forms:
The Template:Ency symim{aX$_{n} Template:Ency symim Template:Ency symim member expresses the progressive braking effect on growth due to some inherent constraint, activated by the systems or process growth itself. Generally speaking, this constraint is the rarefaction of the basic resource that feeds the system or process, due to its growing consumption.
As observed by C. MARCHETTI, quoted by J. CASTI, this logistic growth is characteristic of the evolution of any type of populations, even in “psychological, social, technological and political phenomena” as for example MOZART's musical works, construction of Gothic cathedrals in Europe and the volume of world airline traffic“ (1994, p.37).
The braking factor can be nutrients, available space, overextension of communication lines or some limit of the brain's network combinatorics capacity.