ComplexSystem Flashcards
What is a system?
An ensemble of situated individual entities interacting with each other.
What are examples of individual entities in a system?
Atoms, cells, organs, animals, humans, processes, software agents, robots.
What are examples of interactions in a system?
Physical forces, protein diffusion, gestures, words, electric signals, packets, IP datagrams, messages.
What does ‘situated’ refer to in the context of systems?
Existence in an ‘environment’.
What are the four key features that characterize an entity in a system?
State, transition rules, behavior, and context.
What does ‘state’ mean for an entity in a system?
Dimensions fully characterizing the current situation of the individual (e.g., position, speed, mood).
What are transition rules?
Events that make an individual change its state.
What is ‘context’ in a system?
A ‘position’ in the environment.
What is an interaction in a system?
Any event caused by an individual that can affect the state of one or several individuals in the system.
What are the two types of interactions in a system?
Direct and indirect interactions.
What is an example of a direct interaction?
Communication without the use of the environment, such as particles colliding or humans talking.
What is an example of an indirect interaction?
Interaction mediated by the environment, such as pheromone trails left by ants.
What is an example of implicit or behavioral interaction?
Observing others in a social system and changing one’s state.
What determines the global state of a system?
The collection of all local states of the individuals plus the state of the environment.
What is ‘trajectory in state space’?
The evolution of relevant global state indicators over time, represented in an n-dimensional diagram.
What are attractors in system dynamics?
Specific regions in the diagram where trajectories converge, such as static equilibrium or chaos.
What is adaptivity in a system?
The capability of a system to tune behavior to contingent situations.
What are the features of an adaptive system?
Flexible response, robust behavior, observable intelligence, and context-dependent adaptivity.
What are two steps to achieve adaptivity in Distributed AI?
Context inspection (perception) and behavior tuning (action).
Why is adaptivity mandatory in Distributed AI?
Due to decentralization, ICT system dynamics, environmental dynamics, and social dynamics.
What makes a system complex?
Local interactions, nonlinear dynamics, feedbacks, openness, and environmental dynamics.
How is a complex system different from a complicated system?
A complicated system has linear interactions, no feedback loops, and predictable behavior.
What are examples of complex systems?
Turbo engines (with feedback loops), social networks, and ecosystems.
What are examples of complicated systems?
A car engine and a microprocessor.