RATCHET
Charles François (2004). RATCHET, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 2725.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2725 ▶ |
| Object type | General information |
A mechanism consisting of a pawl, or hinged catch that engages sloping teeth on a wheel, allowing for rotation in only one direction.
Such a mechanism introduces an intermittent stop and go process . It is generally related to a step function. It produces discontinuous phase transitions , passing through a succession of critical states which trigger sudden jumps after periods of apparent stability that can be quite long.
By analogy the ratchet can be seen as a device that secures irreversibility of intermittent processes and may lead to incrementaly accumulative effects. In fact, it tends to block negative or counter active feedbacks .
In a sense it can be regarded as a kind of anti-regulator.