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My first questions in this class were:
“How complex is an emerging system?

Can computer science really cover all facets when modeling a system?

How can we apply success/failure rates to modeling a system as a program with Boolean values?”


FIrst, I want to start by answering my questions that I originally asked in my first Serendip post after the semester of talking and having more experience.  I began with, “How complex is an emerging system?”.  What I think I meant by this question is how complex exactly can an emerging system be?  We’ve found using NetLogo that making simple models yields the best results for prediction.  The simpler a model, the easier to understand.  Of course, the breadth of NetLogo is great and models can represent and factor in many things to make such a model intricate to begin with (in lieu of being simple).

In regards to my second question, “Can computer science really cover all facets when modeling a system?”  NetLogo can cover whatever you’re modeling as long as you specify it.  Depending upon how many views you’d like to get of what you’re modeling, you can specify how many different scenarios or viewpoints of the interactions.

“How can we apply success/failure rates to modeling a system as a program with Boolean values?”  What I see now that I meant by this question is how can we say that this model is a good model or bad model based on the content?  It wasn’t worded quite the way I that I meant it to be. This is similar to a question some of us had earlier in the year, “What can be considered more ‘interesting’ (in a model)?”

As for the questions/future explorations I now endeavor to search out, is thinking (the concept of a thought) and focusing on breaking down things that I may find to be complicated.  I think that none of our questions (including my own, although I tried to answer them the best I could) can be _fully_ answered, but can always be explored as much as one would want to delve into it.  I am also very glad I took this course and am starting to question things when I see/experience them and sometimes think, “What would it be like to model this?”  I enjoyed really taking time to think in this class, as opposed to other classes where you don’t have this luxury.  I hope to never stop exploring emergence!