NETWORK BEHAVIOR
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2260 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
R. ROSEN observes: “… the essential thing… is that the behavior of (such) a network is always the outcome of an interaction of pairs of antagonistic activities, one of which excites a particular response, and the other inhibits it” (1974c, p.171).
ROSEN uses the terms “inducer” and “repressor” to name such paired but antagonistic processes.
Thus the network behavior is basically digital, or binary, even if this aspect may be quite obscured by the numerous simultaneous interactions that constantly occur.
From another angle, it seems that natural networks, as for instance a river basin, or a system of geological plates, are globally able to minimize their energy expenditures, in accordance with some few implicit optimization rules. (YAM, 1994, p.17). This recently discovered and intriguing feature is still under investigation.