NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/comp/theory/dynamic/389

Text File | 1992-12-25 | 1.7 KB | 37 lines

Newsgroups: comp.theory.dynamic-sys
Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!venice!gumby.dsd.trw.com!trwacs.fp.trw.com!trwacs!erwin
From: [e-mail] (Harry Erwin)
Subject: Re: Refs on chaos in neural activity ?
Message-ID: <erwin.725309001@trwacs>
Organization: TRW Systems Division, Fairfax VA
References: <H.eg.UEnwI&[e-mail]>  <erwin.725142195@trwacs> <1992Dec24.174829.78@rcwusr>
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 18:43:21 GMT
Lines: 26

The fourier spectrum need not be flat/constant, as long as it is
continuous. The reason is that this means some element of the system can
respond after an appropriate delay. Otherwise, the system may not be able
to respond _at the appropriate time_.

Consider a military system that has only two tactics: fight individually
or fight in a solid 10x10 phalanx. If a force deploys as a horde of
individuals, a small team can defeat it piecemeal. If it deploys in
phalanxes, it only controls the ground the phalanxes stand on. In terms of
response time, this system is two-valued, and a threat can penetrate it
between the two values. Only if the force can be tailored to have a
significant amount of combat power at every response time, will it be
successful against an opponent that organizes against its weaknesses.

I used a military example here because I've considered it in the past,
however there is evidence that the phenomenum of Zipf's Law for the
distribution of sizes of urban settlements is related to this issue. I'm
doing a presentation on this issue next month at the WESS conference at
Georgetown. By that time, I hope to have a better idea of how to present
this.

Cheers,
--
Harry Erwin
Internet: [e-mail]