OPTIMUM
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2370 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
The best possible condition for a system.
This very simple definition occults quite difficult problems. An optimum is generally defined by some decider in relation to some partial view of the system, corresponding to the aims sought by some subsystem. Optima are even frequently confused with maxima in specific outputs of the system. Maxima in turn, frequently can be sustained only for quite a short time, until some basic resource of the system becomes depleted. (This resource may even be the permanence of sinks able to absorb constantly the products of the system).
The basic optimal condition of a system should guarantee it an adequate stability margin. In other words, specific controls should be correctly interconnected and interacting in order to allow the system as a whole to maintain its dynamic stability.
For example, production and consumption can be maintained more or less close to an optimum if their necessary interdependence is recognized. And both can be maintained stable at long term only if their interdependence with environmental conditions is recognized and respected.