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Disentangling scaling arguments to empower complex systems analysis

Nature Physics volume 16, pages 1086–1088 (2020)Cite this article

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Scaling arguments provide valuable analysis tools across physics and complex systems yet are often employed as one generic method, without explicit reference to the various mathematical concepts underlying them. A careful understanding of these concepts empowers us to unlock their full potential.

The notion of scaling plays a central role across physics as well as complex systems analysis. It offers powerful tools for answering fundamental questions about a system without considering all its details. However, scaling arguments are often used without careful consideration of their various distinct mathematical definitions. Their full potential can be exploited only by respecting these different concepts. We may be able to classify system structure and dynamics, to understand mechanisms underlying (collective) phenomena that complex systems display and, sometimes, to quantitatively predict system behaviour.

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Fig. 1: Two distinct types of scaling analysis.

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  1. Institute for Theoretical Physics, Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed), and Center of Excellence Physics of Life, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Marc Timme & Malte Schröder

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  1. Marc Timme
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Correspondence to Marc Timme.

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Timme, M., Schröder, M. Disentangling scaling arguments to empower complex systems analysis. Nat. Phys. 16, 1086–1088 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-020-01063-5

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