 |
|
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
|
|
dissipative structure
The term used by the Prigogine School (from Ilya Prigogine, winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry) for emergent structures arising in self-organizing systems. Such structures are dissipative by serving to dissipate energy in the system. They happen at a critical threshold of far-from-equilibrium conditions. An example is the hexagonal convection cells that emerge in the Benard System when it is heated. Another example are the so-called chemical clocks demonstrated in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction. These chemical clocks are composed of both temporal structures, such as a shift from one color to another with the regularity of a clock, and spatial structures such as spiral waves.
Related categories
• SYSTEMS THEORY
• HEAT AND THERMODYNAMICS
Also on this site:
Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living
Encyclopedia of History
Transport Concepts & Designs (partner site)