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POLYSTABLE SYSTEM
a state-determined system that has partial,
fluctuating, and temporary independencies within the whole. Its
parts have a high proportion of equilibrial states. A polystable
system can be richly joined, so that almost every variable is
joined to almost every other, or it can be poorly joined. A
polystable system midway between the two will show a somewhat
confused picture. Subsystems will be formed with kaleidoscopic
variety and will persist only for short times; some will be
stable for a brief interval, only to be changed and to
disintegrate. The number of stable variables will tend to climb
as a few subsystems become stable, only to fall back by a larger
or smaller amount as they become unstable. The oscillations will
be large until all subsystems become stable at the same time.
Then the system as a whole will remain stable. (Ashby, 1960,
Chapter l3) (see polystability)
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