NOISE in a SYSTEM
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2297 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
A perturbation “which interferes with the otherwise deterministic behavior either additively, or through some of the parameters characterizing the system” (G. NICOLIS and I. PRIGOGINE, 1978, p.30).
Such a noise can generate an oscillation that can be damped, or lead to the destruction of the system, or play a critical role to orient dissipative structuration at a bifurcation point.
From this viewpoint, and according to G. BATESON, quoted by E. MORIN, anything which is neiter information, nor redundancy, nor form, nor constraint is noise. (1972). However BATESON considers that noise is the only possible source of new patterns.
This view is expressed by H.von FOERSTER in this way: “Thus in my restaurant, self-organizing systems do not only feed upon order, they will also find noise on the menu” (1950, p.31). H. ATLAN puts it as follows: “It is not bad to have noise in the system. If a system freezes in a specific state, it becomes unadaptable and the final state may easily be faulty. It will not be able to adapt to anything that would be an inadequate situation” (1972, p.24).
While this is acceptable, let us remember that too much is too much! …and that it may be difficult to know when a critical threshold of noise is too close for security.
Noise can also be generated within the system, which possesses internal communication channels. This is doubtless the case in biological and in social systems.