PERIOD
Charles François (2004). PERIOD, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 2526.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2526 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
The time span needed for covering the successive phases of a repetitive cyclical process.
In complex processes, a mix of various periods at even very different time scales may happen and the general cyclical character of the process may remain hidden. A period, very long at human time scale, may also be confused with a trend or even not be perceived at all.
Already L.von BERTALANFFY believed that a general theory of periodic processes would be a necessity for various scientific disciplines (1968).
K.DE GREENE has recently returned to this study in a series of thought provoking papers (1988 to 1991).