STATES (Interconvertible)
Charles François (2004). STATES (Interconvertible), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 3186.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3186 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
The states of a system that may replace each other without affecting its global stability.
The concept, quoted by R. MARGALEF, was introduced by R. Mac ARTHUR (1955) (1980, p.62).
When numerous, interconvertible states increase the system's stability. This may generally be observed in networks, where information is widely distributed in many more or less redundant circuits, thus allowing for numerous. equivalent states and avoiding the danger of information loss should one or even various circuits become disabled.