Sarah Mae Butcher
IDH4000
February 21, 2007
“Synch” by Steven Stogatz, The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order
Outline - Preface through page 69
I. Preface
a. “At the heart of the universe is a steady, insistent beat: the sound of cycles in synch.” (1)
i. Thousands of fireflies along the tidal rivers in Malaysia flash in unison
ii. Trillions of electrons synch in super conductors
iii. Pacemaker cells in our bodies fire together to keep us alive
b. “Scientists have long been baffled by the existence of spontaneous order in the universe.” (1)
i. laws of thermodynamics seem to dictate the opposite
ii. where the same things happen at the same time = synchrony
iii. when synch occurs among electrons or cells it seems almost miraculous
c. “This new science centers on the study of “coupled oscillators.” (3)
i. mathematics of nature
ii. the study of thousands of synched oscillators
iii. scientists working across disciplines
II. One - “Fireflies and the Inevitability of Synch”
a. “How could thousands of fireflies orchestrate their flashings so precisely on such a vast scale?” (11)
i. 1915-1935 - 20 articles on the mystery
ii. 1960’s – mystery began to be resolved
1. not only do they flash in unison, but in rhythm too
2. suggested internal oscillators
iii. “Synch occurs through mutual cuing, in the same way that an orchestra can keep perfect time without a conductor.” (13)
b. “For reasons we don’t understand, the tendency to synchronize is one of the most pervasive drives in the universe, extending from atoms to animals, from people to planets.” (14)
i. Charlie Peskin
1. mathematical biologist
2. ground breaking work with pacemaker cells and how they fire and synchronize
ii. Steven Stogatz (author)
1. took up the challenge of the “population problem” based on Art Winfree’s work
2. he and Rennie Mirollo proved that a generalized system almost always becomes synchronized
iii. Martha McClintock
1. menstrual synchronicity studies
2. consequence of larger phenomenon; chemical communication between women
c. “An improved model should accommodate continuous interaction as well.” (38)
i. mathematically more difficult
ii. three decades to construct
iii. efforts of three pioneers
III. Two – “Brain Waves and the Conditions for Synch”
a. Norbert Wiener – mathematician
i. first to take on the problem of millions of oscillators
ii. used alpha brain waves to try to demonstrate the brains “master clock”
iii. believed that “if an oscillator was running too fast, the rest of the group would slow it down; if it was going too slowly, the others would speed it up.” (42)
b. Art Winfree – theoretical biologist
i. concentrated on “the oscillators themselves, not just their frequencies.” (46)
ii. developed a theory that focused on the ability to send and receive signals; “the influence function” (47)
iii. included connectivity as well; used a computer to simulate his model; used the example of groups of runners going around a track becoming a synchronized pack
iv. lead the way for a hybrid theory featuring linear dynamics and statistical mechanics
c. Yoshiki Kuramoto – physicist
i. “revealed the essence of group synchronization” (55)
ii. predicted that the population would always settle into a state that’s as steady as possible
iii. implication in populations of fire flies or brain cells is that they have to be similar enough or nobody (nothing) will synch at all.
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