Emergence (EMER) 2011/2
Workload - Private Study - Assessment - Description - Learning Outcomes - Content - Teaching Materials - Recommended Books
| Module Code | COM00070M |
|---|---|
| Lecturers | Susan Stepney |
| Taken By | LSCITS 1, LSCITS 2, LSCITS 3, LSCITS 4, MEng CSESE 4, MEng CSSE 4, MMath 4, NC |
| Number of Credits | 10 |
| Part | B |
| Teaching | Spring 7-10 |
| Open Assessment |
[100%] Spr/10/Wed -> Sum/2/Wed Feedback: Sum/3/Wed |
Workload
- Lectures: 8 x 2hrs
- Problem Classes: 3 x 2hrs
- Private Study: 36 x 1hr
- Assessment: 42 x 1hr
The assessment (42 hours) should provide a focus for private study, in following up the material from the taught course.
Private Study
Each two-hour lecture includes pointers to sources; students are encouraged to follow up areas that interest them, to explore the topics and seek connections.
Assessment
Open Assessment
- Spr/10/Wed -> Sum/2/Wed
Feedback: Sum/3/Wed
Formative Feedback
There are 3 two-hour problem classes, which are focused on using and discussing key concepts from the lectures. Lecturers will provide verbal feedback during these sessions. Two-hour lectures also include opportunities for general and individual discussion of topics with the lecturers.
Description
This module provides a foundation of knowledge of emergent systems; that is, complex systems that exhibit emergent properties that cannot be reduced to behaviour of their individual components.
Introduce formal and informal definitions of emergence in complex systems
Explore the relationships of emergence, complexity, entropy, and information theory
Investigate natural and computational examples of emergence
Review state of the art in engineering complex systems with desired emergent properties, including appropriate critical-systems engineering approaches to design and validation
Learning Outcomes
To appreciate the range of formal and informal definitions of emergence
To work with formal definitions of emergence, including conducting in silico experiments involving experimental design, selection of formulae, collection of statistics, and interpretation of results
To apply formal definitions to natural and computations systems exhibiting emergence
To demonstrate appreciation of the issues that arise in engineering emergent systems
Content
The following topics will be covered in this module:
Cellular automata and related simulations that display emergent properties
Computational approaches using L-systems and other models of plant growth
Biological and environmental factors in emergence, and natural systems that display emergence
Defining and measuring Emergence and self-organisation entropy and complexity
Complex adaptive systems and the edge of chaos
Engineering Emergence
Teaching Materials
Lecture notes and links to relevant material are provided online.Note that this is state-of-the-art material, and is not covered in a single text book.
Recommended Books
| Rating | Author | Title | Publisher | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ++ | C. Langton | Artificial Life: an Overview | MIT Press | 1995 |
| ++ | P. Prusinkiewicz, A. Lindenmayer | The Algorithmic Beauty of Plants | Springer | 1990 |
| ++ | S. Wolfram | Cellular Automata and Complexity: collected papers | Addison-Wesley | 1994 |
| + | K. Eric Drexler | Engines of Creation: the coming era of nanotechnology | Doubleday | 1986 |
| + | Per Bak | How Nature Works: the science of self-organized criticality | OUP | 1997 |
| + | Stuart Kauffman | At Home in the Universe: the search for laws of complexity | Viking | 1995 |
| + | Manuel De Landa | A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History | Zone | 1997 |
Last updated: 20th April 2012