MACROSTATE
Charles François (2004). MACROSTATE, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 1980.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1980 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
- “An equivalence class of microstates, determined by the equivalence relation ”is microscopically indistinguishable“ (F. HEYLIGHEN, 1990b, p.489).
HEYLIGHEN states: “To really distinguish microstates belonging to the same equivalence class, we would need to determine additional variables. Those variables, however, are ”hidden“ for the macroscopic observer” (Ibid.).
This concept is closely related to the one of level, which is the observation setting where the corresponding equivalence classes do appear. And, of course, “macroscopic” is a relative notion.