The Wonder World of Complex Systems

Abstract

Complex systems pervade nature and form the core of many technological applications. An exciting feature of these systems is that they exhibit a wide range of temporal behaviors, ranging from collective motion, synchronization, pattern formation, and chaos, among others. This has not only caught the attention of scientists, but also the interest of a wider audience. Consequently, our goal in this work is to provide a simple but descriptive explanation of some concepts related to complex systems. Specifically, the reader embarks on a journey that begins in the 17th century with the discovery of synchronization by Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens and ends in the chaotic world explored by meteorologist Edward Lorenz around 1963. The journey is filled with examples, including synchronized clocks and metronomes, electronic fireflies that flash harmoniously, and even a chaotic dress.

Keywords

• complex systems
• synchronization
• chaos
• emergent behavior
• collective behavior
• chaotic dynamics