MODE
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2140 ▶ |
| Object type | Discipline oriented, Methodology or model |
1. A specified pattern of periodic or vibratory movement.
Simple oscillators have only one mode of periodicity.
Modes are related to frequencies in oscillations.
D. RUELLE writes: “If only one mode is excited, we observe periodic oscillations. If various modes are excited, the fluid's movement becomes irregular and, when many modes are excited it becomes turbulent” (1991, p.71).
In general, turbulence implies chaotic determinism.
2. The value occuring most frequently in a series of statistical observations, or probability distribution.
A distribution may present two or more very frequent occurences. It is then called bi- or multi-modal. This may be the case for instance in Markov chains or Markovian systems and correspond to various preferred states, for example in a population distribution. This was interestingly developed by W.R. ASHBY (1956, p.166-7 and 225-29).