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VERSION:2.0
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
PRODID:UW-Madison-Physics-Events
BEGIN:VEVENT
SEQUENCE:0
UID:UW-Physics-Event-3293
DTSTART:20140415T170500Z
DURATION:PT1H0M0S
DTSTAMP:20260419T194028Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20140206T210510Z
LOCATION:4274 Chamberlin (refreshments will be served)
SUMMARY:Criticality and information flow in an adaptive system\, Chaos
  & Complex Systems Seminar\, Bryan Daniels\, Wisconsin Institute for D
 iscovery
DESCRIPTION:In physical systems\, boundaries in parameter space that s
 eparate different large-scale behavior correspond to phase transitions
 \, where small changes in microscopic parameters lead to drastic chang
 es in macroscopic observables. We use fine-grained data about conflict
  in a macaque society to ask whether this social system is located nea
 r a phase transition. We find using two models (an equilibrium Ising m
 odel and a dynamic branching process model) that the system is near bu
 t below a transition\, indicating that aggression dissipates quickly e
 nough to avoid becoming typically widespread\, but not so quickly that
  large fights are impossible. A relation between thermodynamics and in
 formation theory shows that being near the transition implies that it 
 is easier for an observer of fight sizes to infer changes in individua
 l proclivities to fight. More generally\, this points to the possibili
 ty of quantifying a system's collective behavior by measuring the degr
 ee to which information can percolate among different spatial scales.<
 br><br>
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URL:https://www.physics.wisc.edu/events/?id=3293
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