Complex Systems Theory

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What does E James Banks suggest as the reason behind a sudden slowdown in traffic?

Traffic laws

Chaos theory

Driver psychology (correct)

Traffic congestion

What tends to happen to the speed between lanes as traffic gets heavier?

All drivers maintain the same speed

Aggressive drivers move to other lanes (correct)

Drivers start tailgating

Speed increases in all lanes

What happens when a driver in the fast lane brakes slightly?

Driver changes lanes abruptly

All drivers brake simultaneously

The fast lane speeds up

A shock wave travels back rapidly (correct)

What characteristic defines aggressive drivers based on the text?

They tend to change lanes frequently Signup and view all the answers

How does the faster moving traffic react when a road becomes congested?

It is the first to slow down Signup and view all the answers

What did physicists discover when simulating the movement of vehicles on a highway using gas molecules' equations?

Congestion can arise spontaneously with no external causes necessary. Signup and view all the answers

How do drivers behave differently from gas molecules in the simulation?

Drivers slow down to avoid collisions while gas molecules do not. Signup and view all the answers

What can trigger a system-wide breakdown in traffic flow according to the physicists' analysis?

A brief and local fluctuation in speed or distance between vehicles. Signup and view all the answers

What was a striking implication of the equations used by physicists regarding traffic flow?

Congestion can occur frequently on highways due to spontaneous breakdowns. Signup and view all the answers

How did modifying the equations to account for differences between gas molecules and vehicles impact the overall description of traffic flow?

It improved the accuracy of modeling traffic flow as a flowing gas. Signup and view all the answers

What phenomenon popularized as 'chaos theory' showed striking similarities to the physicists' discovery regarding traffic flow?

'Spontaneous breakdowns in traffic flow.' Signup and view all the answers

What analogy is used to explain how tiny variations in a complex system can lead to unpredictable outcomes?

A chemical substance changing from a vapor to a liquid Signup and view all the answers

In the context of the text, what triggers the transition from vapor to liquid in the analogy provided?

A solid surface, like a speck of dust Signup and view all the answers

According to Helbing and Kerner, what can cause a sudden change from freely moving traffic to synchronized traffic?

A small fluctuation in traffic density Signup and view all the answers

How do Helbing and Kerner challenge proposals for setting a maximum capacity for vehicles on highways?

By proposing precise timing of each vehicle's entry onto the highway Signup and view all the answers

What kind of dramatic change can occur in a complex system due to tiny variations according to the text?

Unpredictable transitions between states Signup and view all the answers

How does the text describe the effect of a small fluctuation in traffic density on traffic behavior?

'A speck of dust' causing synchronized traffic Signup and view all the answers

Complex Systems Theory

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