STABILITY (Dynamic) and CONNEXITY
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3148 ▶ |
| Object type | General information |
H. SIMON states that “Interesting results have been obtained showing that dynamic stability of a large class of complex systems depends on their components connexity: For the lesser levels of connexity, they will be stable, but upon a given level, they will suddenly become unstable. This phenomenon was demonstrated by simulation by GARDNER and ASHBY and later on, analytically proved by MAY”.
MAY's result “shows that, among highly interconnected systems, only some quite specific systems will be stable. Because unstable systems have a fleeting existence only, we must expect that many of the effectively observed systems will offer relatively low degrees of connectivity among their components ”(1990, p.137-138).
Cohesion rests on connexity. However, while insufficient connexity implies scattering and eventual dislocation of the system, an excess of connexity provokes its freezing. This problem, specially in the very huge systems, seems related to slowdown in communication and over-saturation in communication channels.