SHIFTING (or SWITCHING) CAPACITY
Charles François (2004). SHIFTING (or SWITCHING) CAPACITY, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 3031.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3031 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
The possibility for a system to modify its internal links at least up to a certain point.
W.R. ASHBY states:“ A system whose variables can be sometimes fluctuating and sometimes constant is adequately equipped for switching” (1960, p.167).
This implies that only some points of the interconnection nets is active at any moment as, again, stated by ASHBY: “Any system with a 'switching' process must use… an alterable distribution of constancies” (Ibid.).
This is specially important for systems whose communication network is of paramount importance, as for example a telephone system and, generally, neural networks, natural or artificial.
Parts of the network which are not linked become for some time independent, but altogether, inactive.