Article
Article
Complexity theory
Article By:
Green, David G. Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Bransden, Tania School of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.802740
The theory of complex systems. Complexity theory arises from the need to understand the richness in structure and behavior often seen in large systems. The property that distinguishes complex systems from systems that are large but simple is the emergence of global features from local interactions, as captured in the popular saying “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” For example, a flock of birds emerges when individual birds coordinate their behavior with each other.
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