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catastrophe theory |
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catastrophe theoryMathematical theory developed by René Thom in 1972, in which he showed that the growth of an organism proceeds by a series of gradual changes that are triggered by, and in turn trigger, large-scale changes or ‘catastrophic’ jumps. It also has applications in engineering - for example, the gradual strain on the structure of a bridge that can eventually result in a sudden collapse - and has been extended to economic and psychological events. |
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Can catastrophe theory explain the properties of school reform as well as the dynamics of physical systems? Finally, the third component of the methodology of qualitative analysis of BMS is comprised of mathematical methods of catastrophe theory that make it possible, on the basis of a derived family of potential functions to construct the sought for critical set (separatrix) in the space of controlling parameters and describe the diversity of qualitative changes occurring in a system when we adjust controlling parameters. During the post 30 years, the author asserts, three theories relevant to the question have emerged: catastrophe theory, chaos theory, and complexity theory. |
catastrophe theory
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