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.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

DENSITY (Optimal) 2)

← Back

K. BOULDING enounces a principle which he calls "of equal advantage" which "…governs the distribution of the "substance" of a structure among the various parts of the structure" (1956, p.73).

The advantage obtained by a unit or element in a defined location "is an inverse function of the relative quantity of units in that location – that is, the fewer, the merrier" (Ibid).

In fact optimal density seems to depend on two complementary parameters:

1) Any subsystem or structure needs at least a minimum number of elements to become functional.

2) An excessive number of elements, i.e. overcrowding, produces a slowing down and, in extreme cases, a blocking of the function.

Moreover the density conditions vary according to the different stages of growth of the system. When growth starts, the relation of the system with an environment rich in resources, induces a considerable multiplication of elements and an increasing density of the structure. With time and as the system is nearing its optimal dimensions, this situation tends to reverse.

Excessive density is a condition favorable to overburdening, overcrowding, and overload. Examples are urban traffic congestion, or epidemics leading to population collapses. According to H. ODUM, "diversity and a check-and-balance system prevent epidemics and maintain stability" (1971, p.80).

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]

We thank the following partners for making the open access of this volume possible:

© 2020 BCSSS Contact/Imprint