MINIMAL PRINCIPLES
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2131 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
J.H. MILSUM found that: “A number of minimal principles, that is, equivalently optimality principles, are recognized in physics”. Examples offered are FERMAT's Principles of least time propagation of light in media of different refractive indices; MAUPERTUIS's Principle of Least Action, and the “most general minimal principle of physics called HAMILTON's Principle”.
MILSUM proposes “A generalized verbal formulation of such principles … as follows: The particular solution ”selected“ by a process in a physical system will be that one out of the possible family of solutions, all consistent with given constraints, which minimizes a certain ”cost“ (1968, p.46).
MILSUM proceeds with this comment, very basic from a systemic viewpoint: “The major drawback to universal application is that only conservative systems can be so treated” This is a result of “the ubiquity of dissipative phenomena” (Ibid).
The validity of any minimal principle is thus conditioned by the existence of steady-states thermodynamics, but ceases in far-from-equilibrium conditions.