Variability and
Complexity
We define as
"variability" the number of the potential discrete states of a
system. Variability depends on the scale in which the system is observed, as
slight alterations which are observable—consequently make possible the
identification of discrete states—in the small scale, are not observable in the
large scale. As a consequence, variability tends to decrease with the scale of
observation. The "complexity" of the system, defined as the logarithm
of the value of variability, determines the quantity of the information
contained in the system. Due to this definition, complexity also depends on the
scale of observation.
Bar‑Yam Y., 1997, Dynamics of Complex Systems. Addison
Wesley, Reading, Massachusetts, pp. 12-14
http://necsi.org/publications/dcs/index.html
See also: