A Day at the Beach: Human Agents Self-Organizing on the Sand Pile

1999 ◽  
Vol 02 (01) ◽  
pp. 37-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Ishii ◽  
Scott E. Page ◽  
Niniane Wang
Keyword(s):  
Power Law ◽  
Critical State ◽  
Sand Pile ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Ability To Act ◽  
Sand Land ◽  
Social Scientific ◽  
Pile Model ◽  
Power Law Distributions ◽  
Self Organizing

In this paper, we analyze the sand pile model of self-organized criticallity from a social scientific perspective. In the sand pile model, particles of sand land at random locations on a square table and self-organize into a critical state: a conical pile. Thereafter, the size of avalanches satisfies a power law. This empirical fact has led some to claim that self-organizing criticality explains power law distributions that occur in human systems. However, unlike grains of sand, people possess both preferences and the ability to act purposefully given those preferences. We find that by including purposive agents and allowing heterogeneity of purposes, the sand pile need not become critical. We also show that if we allow institutions to moderate actions that we can create any distribution of avalanches.

scholarly journals Extra investigation of the self-organized critical Manna model at higher critical dimension

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Andrey Viktorovich Podlazov
Keyword(s):  
Power Law ◽  
Critical Dimension ◽  
The Self ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Upper Critical Dimension ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Logarithmic Corrections ◽  
Universal Indicator ◽  
Sandpile Models ◽  
Power Law Distributions

I investigate the nature of the upper critical dimension for isotropic conservative sandpile models and calculate the emerging logarithmic corrections to power-law distributions. I check the results experimentally using the case of Manna model with the theoretical solution known for all statement starting from the two-dimensional one. In addition, based on this solution, I construct a non-trivial super-universal indicator for this model. It characterizes the distribution of avalanches by time the border of their region needs to pass its width.

scholarly journals Evaluation on the analogy between the dynamic magnetosphere and a forced and/or self-organized critical system

2002 ◽  
Vol 9 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 399-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. T. Y. Lui
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Plasma Sheet ◽  
Critical State ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Critical System ◽  
Scale Free ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Dissipation Power ◽  
Different Levels

Abstract. The dissipation power and size of auroral blobs are investigated in detail to examine the possible analogy between the dynamic magnetosphere and a forced and/or self-organized critical system. The distributions of these auroral parameters are sorted in terms of different levels of activity, namely substorms, pseudo-breakups, and quiet conditions. A power law (scale-free) component is seen in all these distributions. In addition, a peak distribution is found for substorm intervals and a hump for pseudo-breakup intervals. The peak distribution is present prominently during magnetic storms, i.e. when the magnetosphere is strongly driven by the solar wind. It is interpreted that the scale-free component is associated with the activity of the diffuse aurora, corresponding to disturbances at all permissible scales within the plasma sheet. Ionospheric feedback appears to be essential for the presence of two components in the distribution for auroral dissipation power. These results are consistent with the concept that the magnetosphere is in a forced and/or self-organized critical state, although they do not constitute conclusive evidence for the analogy.

STRONG EVENTS IN THE SAND-PILE MODEL

2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (02) ◽  
pp. 279-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. B. SHAPOVAL ◽  
M. G. SHNIRMAN
Keyword(s):  
Power Law ◽  
Sand Pile ◽  
System Length ◽  
Pile Model ◽  
Number Of Particles

Here is a sand-pile introduced by Bak et al. The system accumulates particles one by one. From time to time it topples. Every toppling initiates an event. The distribution of the events' size follows a power law for all the events except the strongest ones. The fraction of the strongest events does not depend on the system length. The number of particles and their clustering increase before the strongest events.

Subtle nonlinearity in popular album charts

1999 ◽  
Vol 02 (03) ◽  
pp. 197-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Alexander Bentley ◽  
Herbert D. G. Maschner
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Popular Music ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Selective Sampling ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Self Organized Criticality ◽  
Critical Model ◽  
Power Law Distributions ◽  
Multiplicative Processes

Large-scale patterns of culture change may be explained by models of self organized criticality, or alternatively, by multiplicative processes. We speculate that popular album activity may be similar to critical models of extinction in that interconnected agents compete to survive within a limited space. Here we investigate whether popular music albums as listed on popular album charts display evidence of self-organized criticality, including a self-affine time series of activity and power-law distributions of lifetimes and exit activity in the chart. We find it difficult to distinguish between multiplicative growth and critical model hypotheses for these data. However, aspects of criticality may be masked by the selective sampling that a "Top 200" listing necessarily implies.

Acoustic emission study of deformation behavior of nacre

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (06) ◽  
pp. 1650017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shunfei Luo ◽  
Hongyun Luo ◽  
Zhiyuan Han
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Emission ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Deformation Behavior ◽  
Fracture Dynamics ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Range Correlation ◽  
Self Organized Criticality ◽  
Emission Study ◽  
Acoustic Emission Study ◽  
Power Law Distributions

A study on the acoustic emission (AE) characteristics during deformation of nacre material was performed. We found that intermittent AE events are generated during nacre deformation. These avalanches may be attributed to microfracture events of the aragonite (CaCO3) nano-asperities and bridges during tablet sliding. These events show several critical features, such as the power-law distributions of the avalanche sizes and interval. These results suggest that the underlying fracture dynamics during nacre deformation display a self-organized criticality (SOC). The results also imply that the disorder and long-range correlation between local microfracture events may play important roles in nacre deformation.

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