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

LINEARITY 1)2)

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An arithmetical relation between quantities, i.e. characterized by a fixed arithmetic rate of increase or decrease.

y = ax, is a typical linear relation. Its representation is a straight line. It includes only variables of the first order or degree, affected by some arithmetic coefficient. It is merely accumulative at an invariable rate and corresponds to a permanent "one cause, one effect" process.

Linearity is a property of processes exempt of positive (accelerative), or negative (dampening) feedbacks. However, a positive or negative acceleration in itself can be linear, as derivation from a linear differential equation.

Truly linear processes are exceptional, even if during a limited span of time, a nonlinear one may look as linear. Trying to study nonlinear processes in linear terms is generally to no avail, as very few processes are immune to internal and/or external constraints expressed through regulation loops or controls. In such cases linear models may lead to gigantic (or subtle, which could be worse) extrapolation errors.

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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