MACHINE (Determinate)
Charles François (2004). MACHINE (Determinate), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 1966.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1966 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
- “That which behaves in the same way as does a closed single-valued transformation” (W.R. ASHBY, 1958, p.24).
ASHBY explains: “ The series of positions taken by the system in time clearly corresponds to the series of elements generated by the successive powers of the transformation. Such a sequence of states defines a trajectory or line of behavior… Next, the fact that a determinate machine, from one state, cannot proceed to both of two different states corresponds, in the transformation, to the restriction that each transform is single-valued” (p.25).
Determinate machines are trivial in von FOERSTER's sense, i.e. their behavior is perfectly predictable.