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onig
From: mcgonig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Gordon McGonigal)
Subject: Re: Chaos Theory
Message-ID: <1992Oct26.231427.10335@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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Organization: Dept. of Elect. & Comp. Engineering, U of Manitoba
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<RANDOLPH.92Oct25175843@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1992 23:14:27 GMT
Lines: 20
randolph@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Randolph Fritz) writes:
>I think a big application of chaos theory to architecture lies in
>the observation that cities are chaotic systems, and urban form is
>fractal.
I agree that cities are chaotic (who wouldn`t? :) but I don`t quite see
that they are a "chaotic system" in the mathematical sense. To me, a
chaotic system shows highly complex behavior that emerges from a simple
generating function. A related point is that "chaotic systems" have a
relatively small number of degrees of freedom. For example, it is
impossible to predict the path of a particular molecule in a gaseous
volume, but I would not call this a chaotic system because of its
enormous number of degrees of freedom. I can only see the city as a
gas. Is there a simple generating function behind the city that I`m
missing?
--
* * *
Gord McGonigal mcgonig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, CANADA (R3T 2N2) phone: (204) 474-6295
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From: mcgonig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Gordon McGonigal)
Subject: Re: Chaos Theory
Message-ID: <1992Oct26.231427.10335@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sender: news@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Nntp-Posting-Host: ic16.ee.umanitoba.ca
Organization: Dept. of Elect. & Comp. Engineering, U of Manitoba
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<RANDOLPH.92Oct25175843@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1992 23:14:27 GMT
Lines: 20
randolph@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Randolph Fritz) writes:
>I think a big application of chaos theory to architecture lies in
>the observation that cities are chaotic systems, and urban form is
>fractal.
I agree that cities are chaotic (who wouldn`t? :) but I don`t quite see
that they are a "chaotic system" in the mathematical sense. To me, a
chaotic system shows highly complex behavior that emerges from a simple
generating function. A related point is that "chaotic systems" have a
relatively small number of degrees of freedom. For example, it is
impossible to predict the path of a particular molecule in a gaseous
volume, but I would not call this a chaotic system because of its
enormous number of degrees of freedom. I can only see the city as a
gas. Is there a simple generating function behind the city that I`m
missing?
--
* * *
Gord McGonigal mcgonig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, CANADA (R3T 2N2) phone: (204) 474-6295