MODELING COMPLEX SYSTEMS Learning （复杂系统建模学习）.pdfVIP

Modeling Complex Systems 1 Running head: MODELING COMPLEX SYSTEMS Modeling Complex Systems by Diana Stirling Modeling Complex Systems 2 Abstract This paper offers a brief description and summary of the characteristics of complex adaptive systems. The use of computer software such as StarLogo and NetLogo is presented as a powerful way to explore the dynamics of such systems. The author suggests that these computer programs can vitally enhance the development of the scientific mind in users within a wide range of ages and levels of experience. Modeling Complex Systems 3 Modeling Complex Systems What is a complex system? A relatively recent area of scientific inquiry is the exploration of the dynamics of complex systems. A defining characteristic of complex systems is their tendency to self- organize globally as a result of many local interactions. In other words, organization occurs without any central organizing structure or entity. Such self-organization has been observed in systems at scales from neurons to ecosystems. A complex adaptive system has the following characteristics: it persists in spite of changes in the diverse individual components of which it is comprised; the interactions between those components are responsible for the persistence of the system; and the system itself engages in adaptation or learning (Holland, 1995, p.4). To say that a system is complex is to say that it moves between order and disorder without becoming fixed in either state. To say that such a system adapts is to say that it responds to information by changing. Such systems