BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

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VORTEX (Sub-dividing) 1)2)

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Ch. LAVILLE observed that any vortex may, under specific conditions, generate smaller vortices. He writes: "We may witness either a conjunction of separate vortices into a unique one, or the disjunction of one vortex into various individual ones" (1950, p.55).

As to the subdivision process he states: "The volume of a vortex does not seem to be able to exceed a certain limit depending on the conditions of its formation. Over this threshold it maintains the coherence needed for its survival by fractioning into smaller vortices" (Ibid)

Each of these corresponds to a limit cycle.

This process of production of vortexes within vortexes within vortexes, etc… seems to be a very important factor of internal diversification, closely related to the construction of complex systems through subdivision and qualitative differentiation of channels of energy flows.

It would be interesting to try to connect the study of subdividing vortices with fractals theory and deterministic chaos.

→ Fields within fields

In some cases, small vortexes also can combine and construct a greater one at a higher level of integration, as shown by A.P. INGERSOLL's models of Jovian vortices (quoted by J. BRIGGS and F.D. PEAT, 1991, p.125).

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

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