AN INTRODUCTION TO

By the same author
DESIGN FOR A BRAINCYBERNETICS
by

Copyright © 1956, 1999
by The Estate of W. Ross Ashby
Non- profit reproduction and distribution of this text for
educational and research reasons is permitted
providing this copyright statement is included
Referencing this text:
W. Ross Ashby, An Introduction to Cybernetics,
Chapman & Hall, London, 1956. Internet (1999):
http://pcp.vub.ac.be/books/IntroCyb.pdf

Prepared for the Principia
Cybernetica Web

W. ROSS ASHBY
M.A., M.D.(Cantab.), D.P.M.
Director of Research
Barnwood House, Gloucester

SECOND IMPRESSION

With kind permission of the Estate trustees

Jill Ashby
Sally Bannister
Ruth Pettit
Many thanks to

Mick Ashby
Concept

Francis Heylighen
Realisation

Alexander Riegler
with additional help from
Didier Durlinger
An Vranckx
Véronique Wilquet

LONDONCHAPMAN & HALL LTD
37 ESSEX STREET WC2

1957

First published 1956
Second impression 1957

Catalogue No. 567/4
MADE AND PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY
WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, LONDON AND BECCLESPR E FAC E
Many workers in the biological sciences—physiologists,
psychologists, sociologists—are interested in cybernetics andwould like to apply its methods and techniques to their own speciality. Many have, however, been prevented from taking up the
subject by an impression that its use must be preceded by a longstudy of electronics and advanced pure mathematics; for they
have formed the impression that cybernetics and these subjects
are inseparable.
The author is convinced, however, that this impression is false.
The basic ideas of cybernetics can be treated without reference toelectronics, and they are fundamentally simple; so althoughadvanced techniques may be necessary for advanced applications,a great deal can be done, especially in the biological sciences, by
the use of quite simple techniques, provided they are used with aclear and deep understanding of the principles involved. It is theauthor’s belief that if the subject is founded in the common-place
and well understood, and is then built up carefully, step by step,
there is no reason why the worker with only elementary mathematical knowledge should not achieve a complete understandingof its basic principles. With such an understanding he will then beable to see exactly what further techniques he will have to learn if
he is to proceed further; and, what is particularly useful, he will beable to see what techniques he can safely ignore as being irrelevant to his purpose.
The book is intended to provide such an introduction. It starts
from common-place and well-understood concepts, and proceeds,
step by step, to show how these concepts can be made exact, andhow they can be developed until they lead into such subjects asfeedback, stability, regulation, ultrastability, information, coding,noise, and other cybernetic topics. Throughout the book noknowledge of mathematics is required beyond elementary algebra; in particular, the arguments nowhere depend on the calculus(the few references to it can be ignored without harm, for they areintended only to show how the calculus joins on to the subjects
discussed, if it should be used). The illustrations and examples aremostly taken from the biological, rather than the physical, sciences. Its overlap with Design for a Brain is small, so that the twobooks are almost independent. They are, however, intimately
related, and are best treated as complementary; each will help toilluminate the other.
v

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

PREFACEIt is divided into three parts.
Part I deals with the principles of Mechanism, treating suchmatters as its representation by a transformation, what is meant by“stability”, what is meant by “feedback”, the various forms of
independence that can exist within a mechanism, and how mechanisms can be coupled. It introduces the principles that must be
followed when the system is so large and complex (e.g. brain or
society) that it can be treated only statistically. It introduces also
the case when the system is such that not all of it is accessible todirect observation—the so-called Black Box theory.
Part II uses the methods developed in Part I to study what ismeant by “information”, and how it is coded when it passes
through a mechanism. It applies these methods to various problems in biology and tries to show something of the wealth of possible applications. It leads into Shannon’s theory; so after reading
this Part the reader will be able to proceed without difficulty to thestudy of Shannon’s own work.
Part III deals with mechanism and information as they are usedin biological systems for regulation and control, both in the inborn
systems studied in physiology and in the acquired systems studiedin psychology. It shows how hierarchies of such regulators andcontrollers can be built, and how an amplification of regulation isthereby made possible. It gives a new and altogether simpler
account of the principle of ultrastability. It lays the foundation fora general theory of complex regulating systems, developing further the ideas of Design for a Brain. Thus, on the one hand it provides an explanation of the outstanding powers of regulation
possessed by the brain, and on the other hand it provides the principles by which a designer may build machines of like power.
Though the book is intended to be an easy introduction, it is notintended to be merely a chat about cybernetics—it is written for
those who want to work themselves into it, for those who want toachieve an actual working mastery of the subject. It therefore contains abundant easy exercises, carefully graded, with hints andexplanatory answers, so that the reader, as he progresses, can test his
grasp of what he has read, and can exercise his new intellectual muscles. A few exercises that need a special technique have been marked
thus: *Ex. Their omission will not affect the reader’s progress.
For convenience of reference, the matter has been divided into
sections; all references are to the section, and as these numbers areshown at the top of every page, finding a section is as simple anddirect as finding a page. The section is shown thus: S.9/14—indicating the fourteenth section in Chapter 9. Figures, Tables, andExercises have been numbered within their own sections; thus
Fig. 9/14/2 is the second figure in S.9/14. A simple reference, e.g.
Ex. 4, is used for reference within the same section. Whenever aword is formally defined it is printed in bold-faced type.
I would like to express my indebtedness to Michael B. Sporn,
who checked all the Answers. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to the Governors of Barnwood
House and to Dr. G. W. T. H. Fleming for the generous support thatmade these researches possible. Though the book covers many topics, these are but means; the end has been throughout to make clear
what principles must be followed when one attempts to restore normal function to a sick organism that is, as a human patient, of fearful complexity. It is my faith that the new understanding may leadto new and effective treatments, for the need is great.

vi

vii

Barnwood House
Gloucester

W. ROSS ASHBYCONTENTS

CO N TEN T S
Page
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Chapter
1: WHAT IS NEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
The peculiarities of cybernetics . . . . . . . . . . 1
The uses of cybernetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
PART ONE: MECHANISM
2: CHANGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Repeated change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3: THE DETERMINATE MACHINE . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Vectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
4: THE MACHINE WITH INPUT . . .
Coupling systems . . . . . .
Feedback . . . . . . . . .
Independence within a whole .
The very large system . . . .

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53
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5: STABILITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Equilibrium in part and whole . . . . . . . . . . 82
6: THE BLACK BOX. . . . . . . . .
Isomorphic machines . . . . .
Homomorphic machines . . . .
The very large Box . . . . . .
The incompletely observable Box

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9: INCESSANT TRANSMISSION .
The Markov chain . . .
Entropy. . . . . . . .
Noise . . . . . . . .

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PART THREE: REGULATION AND CONTROL
10: REGULATION IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS . . . . . . 195
Survival. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
11: REQUISITE VARIETY .
The law. . . . . .
Control . . . . . .
Some variations . .

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12: THE ERROR-CONTROLLED REGULATOR .
The Markovian machine . . . . . .
Markovian regulation . . . . . . .
Determinate regulation. . . . . . .
The power amplifier. . . . . . . .
Games and strategies . . . . . . .

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13: REGULATING THE VERY LARGE SYSTEM .
Repetitive disturbance . . . . . . . .
Designing the regulator . . . . . . .
Quantity of selection . . . . . . . .
Selection and machinery . . . . . . .

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14: AMPLIFYING REGULATION .
What is an amplifier? . .
Amplification in the brain
Amplifying intelligence .

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REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
ANSWERS TO EXERCISES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

PART TWO: VARIETY
7: QUANTITY OF VARIETY. . .
Constraint . . . . . . .
Importance of constraint .
Variety in machines.. . .

8: TRANSMISSION OF VARIETY . . . . . .
Inversion . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transmission from system to system. .
Transmission through a channel . . .

INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
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ix

1

Chapter

WHAT IS NE W
1/1. Cybernetics was defined by Wiener as “the science of control
and communication, in the animal and the machine”—in a word,
as the art of steermanship, and it is to this aspect that the book will
be addressed. Co-ordination, regulation and control will be itsthemes, for these are of the greatest biological and practical interest.
We must, therefore, make a study of mechanism; but some
introduction is advisable, for cybernetics treats the subject from anew, and therefore unusual, angle. Without introduction, Chapter
2 might well seem to be seriously at fault. The new point of viewshould be clearly understood, for any unconscious vacillation
between the old and the new is apt to lead to confusion.
1/2. The peculiarities of cybernetics. Many a book has borne thetitle “Theory of Machines”, but it usually contains information
about mechanical things, about levers and cogs. Cybernetics, too,is a “theory of machines”, but it treats, not things but ways of
behaving. It does not ask “what is this thing?” but “what does it
do?” Thus it is very interested in such a statement as “this variable
is undergoing a simple harmonic oscillation”, and is much lessconcerned with whether the variable is the position of a point on
a wheel, or a potential in an electric circuit. It is thus essentiallyfunctional and behaviouristic.
Cybernetics started by being closely associated in many ways
with physics, but it depends in no essential way on the laws ofphysics or on the properties of matter. Cybernetics deals with allforms of behaviour in so far as they are regular, or determinate, or
reproducible. The materiality is irrelevant, and so is the holding or
not of the ordinary laws of physics. (The example given in S.4/15
will make this statement clear.) The truths of cybernetics are notconditional on their being derived from some other branch of science. Cybernetics has its own foundations. It is partly the aim of
this book to display them clearly.
1

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

WHAT IS NEW

1/3. Cybernetics stands to the real machine—electronic, mechanical, neural, or economic—much as geometry stands to a real object
in our terrestrial space. There was a time when “geometry” meant
such relationships as could be demonstrated on three-dimensional
objects or in two-dimensional diagrams. The forms provided by
the earth—animal, vegetable, and mineral—were larger in number
and richer in properties than could be provided by elementarygeometry. In those days a form which was suggested by geometry
but which could not be demonstrated in ordinary space was suspect
or inacceptable. Ordinary space dominated geometry.
Today the position is quite different. Geometry exists in its own
right, and by its own strength. It can now treat accurately andcoherently a range of forms and spaces that far exceeds anythingthat terrestrial space can provide. Today it is geometry that contains the terrestrial forms, and not vice versa, for the terrestrial
forms are merely special cases in an all-embracing geometry.
The gain achieved by geometry’s development hardly needs tobe pointed out. Geometry now acts as a framework on which all
terrestrial forms can find their natural place, with the relations
between the various forms readily appreciable. With this increased
understanding goes a correspondingly increased power of control.
Cybernetics is similar in its relation to the actual machine. It
takes as its subject-matter the domain of “all possible machines”,
and is only secondarily interested if informed that some of them
have not yet been made, either by Man or by Nature. What cybernetics offers is the framework on which all individual machines
may be ordered, related and understood.

The biologist knows and uses the same principle when he gives
to Amphioxus, or to some extinct form, a detailed study quite out Of
proportion to its present-day ecological or economic importance.
In the same way, cybernetics marks out certain types of mechanism (S.3/3) as being of particular importance in the general theory; and it does this with no regard for whether terrestrial
machines happen to make this form common. Only after the study
has surveyed adequately the possible relations between machine
and machine does it turn to consider the forms actually found insome particular branch of science.

1/4. Cybernetics, then, is indifferent to the criticism that some of
the machines it considers are not represented among the machines
found among us. In this it follows the path already followed withobvious success by mathematical physics. This science has long
given prominence to the study of systems that are well known to
be non-existent—springs without mass, particles that have mass
but no volume, gases that behave perfectly, and so on. To say thatthese entities do not exist is true; but their non-existence does notmean that mathematical physics is mere fantasy; nor does it makethe physicist throw away his treatise on the Theory of the Massless Spring, for this theory is invaluable to him in his practicalwork. The fact is that the massless spring, though it has no physical representation, has certain properties that make it of the highest importance to him if he is to understand a system even as
simple as a watch.

1/5. In keeping with this method, which works primarily with thecomprehensive and general, cybernetics typically treats any
given, particular, machine by asking not “what individual act will
it produce here and now?” but “what are all the possible behaviours that it can produce?”
It is in this way that information theory comes to play an essential part in the subject; for information theory is characterised
essentially by its dealing always with a set of possibilities; both its
primary data and its final statements are almost always about the
set as such, and not about some individual element in the set.
This new point of view leads to the consideration of new typesof problem. The older point of view saw, say, an ovum grow intoa rabbit and asked “why does it do this”—why does it not just stay
an ovum?” The attempts to answer this question led to the studyof energetics and to the discovery of many reasons why the ovum
should change—it can oxidise its fat, and fat provides free energy;
it has phosphorylating enzymes, and can pass its metabolises
around a Krebs’ cycle; and so on. In these studies the concept ofenergy was fundamental.
Quite different, though equally valid, is the point of view ofcybernetics. It takes for granted that the ovum has abundant freeenergy, and that it is so delicately poised metabolically as to be, ina sense, explosive. Growth of some form there will be; cybernetics
asks “why should the changes be to the rabbit-form, and not to a
dog-form, a fish-form, or even to a teratoma-form?” Cybernetics
envisages a set of possibilities much wider than the actual, and thenasks why the particular case should conform to its usual particular
restriction. In this discussion, questions of energy play almost no
part—the energy is simply taken for granted. Even whether the system is closed to energy or open is often irrelevant; what is importantis the extent to which the system is subject to determining and controlling factors. So no information or signal or determining factor

2

3

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

WHAT IS NEW

may pass from part to part without its being recorded as a significant event. Cybernetics might, in fact, be defined as the study of systems that are open to energy but closed to information andcontrol—systems that are “information-tight” (S.9/19.).

1/7. The complex system. The second peculiar virtue of cybernetics is that it offers a method for the scientific treatment of the sys-

tem in which complexity is outstanding and too important to beignored Such systems are, as we well know, only too common in
the biological world!
In the simpler systems, the methods of cybernetics sometimes
show no obvious advantage over those that have long been
known. It is chiefly when the systems become complex that the
new methods reveal their power.
Science stands today on something of a divide. For two centuries
it has been exploring systems that are either intrinsically simple orthat are capable of being analysed into simple components. The factthat such a dogma as “vary the factors one at a time” could be
accepted for a century, shows that scientists were largely concernedin investigating such systems as allowed this method; for thismethod is often fundamentally impossible in the complex systems.
Not until Sir Donald Fisher’s work in the ’20s, with experiments
conducted on agricultural soils, did it become clearly recognised that
there are complex systems that just do not allow the varying of only
one factor at a time—they are so dynamic and interconnected thatthe alteration of one factor immediately acts as cause to evoke alterations in others, perhaps in a great many others. Until recently, science tended to evade the study of such systems, focusing its attention
on those that were simple and, especially, reducible (S.4/14).
In the study of some systems, however, the complexity could
not be wholly evaded. The cerebral cortex of the free-livingorganism, the ant-hill as a functioning society, and the humaneconomic system were outstanding both in their practical importance and in their intractability by the older methods. So today wesee psychoses untreated, societies declining, and economic systems faltering, the scientist being able to do little more than toappreciate the full complexity of the subject he is studying. But
science today is also taking the first steps towards studying “complexity” as a subject in its own right.
Prominent among the methods for dealing with complexity iscybernetics. It rejects the vaguely intuitive ideas that we pick up
from handling such simple machines as the alarm clock and thebicycle, and sets to work to build up a rigorous discipline of the subject. For a time (as the first few chapters of this book will show) it
seems rather to deal with truisms and platitudes, but this is merely
because the foundations are built to be broad and strong. They arebuilt so that cybernetics can be developed vigorously, without t e
primary vagueness that has infected most past attempts to grapple
with, in particular, the complexities of the brain in action.
Cybernetics offers the hope of providing effective methods for

45

1/6. The uses of cybernetics. After this bird’s-eye view of cybernetics we can turn to consider some of the ways in which it promises to be of assistance. I shall confine my attention to theapplications that promise most in the biological sciences. The
review can only be brief and very general. Many applications
have already been made and are too well known to need description here; more will doubtless be developed in the future. There
are, however, two peculiar scientific virtues of cybernetics thatare worth explicit mention.
One is that it offers a single vocabulary and a single set of concepts suitable for representing the most diverse types of system.
Until recently, any attempt to relate the many facts known about,say, servo-mechanisms to what was known about the cerebellum
was made unnecessarily difficult by the fact that the properties ofservo-mechanisms were described in words redolent of the automatic pilot, or the radio set, or the hydraulic brake, while those of
the cerebellum were described in words redolent of the dissecting
room and the bedside—aspects that are irrelevant to the similarities between a servo-mechanism and a cerebellar reflex. Cybernetics offers one set of concepts that, by having exact
correspondences with each branch of science, can thereby bringthem into exact relation with one other.
It has been found repeatedly in science that the discovery that
two branches are related leads to each branch helping in the development of the other. (Compare S.6/8.) The result is often a markedly accelerated growth of both. The infinitesimal calculus andastronomy, the virus and the protein molecule, the chromosomes
and heredity are examples that come to mind. Neither, of course,
can give proofs about the laws of the other, but each can give suggestions that may be of the greatest assistance and fruitfulness.
The subject is returned to in S.6/8. Here I need only mention thefact that cybernetics is likely to reveal a great number of interesting and suggestive parallelisms between machine and brain andsociety. And it can provide the common language by which discoveries in one branch can readily be made use of in the others.

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

the study, and control, of systems that are intrinsically extremelycomplex. It will do this by first marking out what is achievable(for probably many of the investigations of the past attempted theimpossible), and then providing generalised strategies, of demonstrable value, that can be used uniformly in a variety of special
cases. In this way it offers the hope of providing the essential
methods by which to attack the ills—psychological, social, economic—which at present are defeating us by their intrinsic complexity. Part III of this book does not pretend to offer suchmethods perfected, but it attempts to offer a foundation on whichsuch methods can be constructed, and a start in the right direction.

PART ONEME CHANI S M
The properties commonly ascribed to any object
are, in last analysis, names for its behavior.
(Herrick)6

2

ChapterC HANGE
2/1. The most fundamental concept in cybernetics is that of “difference”, either that two things are recognisably different or that
one thing has changed with time. Its range of application need not
be described now, for the subsequent chapters will illustrate therange abundantly. All the changes that may occur with time arenaturally included, for when plants grow and planets age andmachines move some change from one state to another is implicit.
So our first task will be to develop this concept of “change”, notonly making it more precise but making it richer, converting it toa form that experience has shown to be necessary if significant
developments are to be made.
Often a change occurs continuously, that is, by infinitesimal
steps, as when the earth moves through space, or a sunbather’sskin darkens under exposure. The consideration of steps that are
infinitesimal, however, raises a number of purely mathematicaldifficulties, so we shall avoid their consideration entirely. Instead,
we shall assume in all cases that the changes occur by finite steps
in time and that any difference is also finite. We shall assume thatthe change occurs by a measurable jump, as the money in a bankaccount changes by at least a penny. Though this supposition may
seem artificial in a world in which continuity is common, it has
great advantages in an Introduction and is not as artificial as it
seems. When the differences are finite, all the important questions, as we shall see later, can be decided by simple counting, sothat it is easy to be quite sure whether we are right or not. Were
we to consider continuous changes we would often have to compare infinitesimal against infinitesimal, or to consider what wewould have after adding together an infinite number of infinitesimals—questions by no means easy to answer.
As a simple trick, the discrete can often be carried over into thecontinuous, in a way suitable for practical purposes, by making agraph of the discrete, with the values shown as separate points. It
9A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

CHANGE

is then easy to see the form that the changes will take if the points
were to become infinitely numerous and close together.
In fact, however, by keeping the discussion to the case of thefinite difference we lose nothing. For having established with certainty what happens when the differences have a particular size
we can consider the case when they are rather smaller. When thiscase is known with certainty we can consider what happens when
they are smaller still. We can progress in this way, each step being
well established, until we perceive the trend; then we can say whatis the limit as the difference tends to zero. This, in fact, is themethod that the mathematician always does use if he wants to bereally sure of what happens when the changes are continuous.
Thus, consideration of the case in which all differences are
finite loses nothing, it gives a clear and simple foundation; and it
can always be converted to the continuous form if that is desired.
The subject is taken up again in S.3/3.

Another example of a transformation is given by the simple
coding that turns each letter of a message to the one that follows
it in the alphabet, Z being turned to A; so CAT would become
DBU. The transformation is defined by the table:
A→B
B→C
…
Y→Z
Z→A

2/2. Next, a few words that will have to be used repeatedly. Consider the simple example in which, under the influence of sunshine, pale skin changes to dark skin. Something, the pale skin, isacted on by a factor, the sunshine, and is changed to dark skin.
That which is acted on, the pale skin, will be called the operand,
the factor will be called the operator, and what the operand ischanged to will be called the transform. The change that occurs,
which we can represent unambiguously by
pale skin → dark skinis the transition.
The transition is specified by the two states and the indicationof which changed to which.

Notice that the transformation is defined, not by any reference towhat it “really” is, nor by reference to any physical cause of thechange, but by the giving of a set of operands and a statement ofwhat each is changed to. The transformation is concerned withwhat happens, not with why it happens. Similarly, though we may
sometimes know something of the operator as a thing in itself (aswe know something of sunlight), this knowledge is often notessential; what we must know is how it acts on the operands; thatis, we must know the transformation that it effects.
For convenience of printing, such a transformation can also be
expressed thus:↓

A B…Y ZB C…Z AWe shall use this form as standard.
2/4. Closure. When an operator acts on a set of operands it may
happen that the set of transforms obtained contains no elementthat is not already present in the set of operands, i.e. the transformation creates no new element. Thus, in the transformation↓

Such a set of transitions, on a set of operands, is a transformation.

A B…Y ZB C…Z Aevery element in the lower line occurs also in the upper. When thisoccurs, the set of operands is closed under the transformation. The
property of “closure”, is a relation between a transformation anda particular set of operands; if either is altered the closure mayalter.
It will be noticed that the test for closure is made, not by reference to whatever may be the cause of the transformation but by
reference of the details of the transformation itself. It can therefore be applied even when we know nothing of the cause responsible for the changes.

10

11

TR A N S F O R M A TION
2/3. The single transition is, however, too simple. Experience has
shown that if the concept of “change” is to be useful it must be
enlarged to the case in which the operator can act on more than
one operand, inducing a characteristic transition in each. Thus theoperator “exposure to sunshine” will induce a number of transitions, among which are:cold soil → warm soil
unexposed photographic plate → exposed platecoloured pigment → bleached pigment

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

CHANGE

Ex. 1: If the operands are the positive integers 1, 2, 3, and 4, and the operator is“add three to it”, the transformation is:
1 2 3 4↓ 4 5 6 7
Is it closed ?
Ex. 2. The operands are those English letters that have Greek equivalents (i.e.
excluding j, q, etc.), and the operator is “turn each English letter to its Greek
equivalent”. Is the transformation closed ?
Ex. 3: Are the following transformations closed or not:a b c df g p q
B: ↓A: ↓ a a a ag f q p2/6. Notation. Many transformations become inconveniently
lengthy if written out in extenso. Already, in S.2/3, we have been
forced to use dots ... to represent operands that were not given
individually. For merely practical reasons we shall have todevelop a more compact method for writing down our transformations though it is to be understood that, whatever abbreviation isused, the transformation is basically specified as in S.2/3. Several
abbreviations will now be described. It is to be understood thatthey are a mere shorthand, and that they imply nothing more thanhas already been stated explicitly in the last few sections.
Often the specification of a transformation is made simple bysome simple relation that links all the operands to their respective
transforms. Thus the transformation of Ex. 2/4/1 can be replacedby the single line
Operand → operand plus three.
The whole transformation can thus be specified by the generalrule, written more compactly,
Op. → Op. + 3,
together with a statement that the operands are the numbers 1, 2 3
and 4. And commonly the representation can be made evenbriefer, the two letters being reduced to one:n → n + 3 (n = 1, 2, 3, 4)
The word “operand” above, or the letter n (which means exactly
the same thing), may seem somewhat ambiguous. If we are thinking of how, say, 2 is transformed, then “n” means the number 2
and nothing else, and the expression tells us that it will change to
5. The same expression, however, can also be used with n notgiven any particular value. It then represents the whole transformation. It will be found that this ambiguity leads to no confusion
in practice, for the context will always indicate which meaning is
intended.

f g p
D: ↓ fg gf
g f q
Ex. 4: Write down, in the form of Ex. 3, a transformation that has only one operand and is closed.
Ex. 5: Mr. C, of the Eccentrics’ Chess Club, has a system of play that rigidly prescribes, for every possible position, both for White and slack (except for
those positions in which the player is already mated) what is the player’s best
next move. The theory thus defines a transformation from position to position. On being assured that the transformation was a closed one, and that C
always plays by this system, Mr. D. at once offered to play C for a large
stake. Was D wise?
C: ↓2/5. A transformation may have an infinite number of discrete
operands; such would be the transformation↓

1 2 3 4 …
4 5 6 7 …
where the dots simply mean that the list goes on similarly without
end. Infinite sets can lead to difficulties, but in this book we shallconsider only the simple and clear. Whether such a transformation
is closed or not is determined by whether one cannot, or can(respectively) find some particular, namable, transform that does
not occur among the operands. In the example given above, eachparticular transform, 142857 for instance, will obviously be foundamong the operands. So that particular infinite transformation isclosed.
Ex. 1: In A the operands are the even numbers from 2 onwards, and the transforms are their squares:
2 4 6 …
A: ↓4 16 36 …
Is A closed?
Ex. 2: In transformation B the operands are all the positive integers 1, 2, 3, …andeach one’s transform is its right-hand digit, so that, for instance, 127 → 7,
and 6493 → 3. Is B closed?

12

Ex. 1: Condense into one line the transformation
1 2 3
A: ↓ 11 12 13
Ex. 2: Condense similarly the transformations:
1→ 7
1 →1
2 → 14 b:
2 →4
c:
a:
3 → 213 →9{{{ 32 →→ 89 e: { 32 →→ 11
1 → 10

d:

1 →1

13

{ 23 →→ 1/2
1/3
1 →1

{ 23 →→ 23
1 →1

f:

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

CHANGEWe shall often require a symbol to represent the transform ofsuch a symbol as n. It can be obtained conveniently by adding aprime to the operand, so that, whatever n may be, n → n'. Thus, if
the operands of Ex. 1 are n, then the transformation can be written
as n' = n + 10 (n = 1, 2, 3).

transformation that is single-valued but not one-one will bereferred to as many-one.

Ex. 3: Write out in full the transformation in which the operands are the threenumbers 5, 6 and 7, and in which n' = n – 3. Is it closed?
Ex. 4: Write out in full the transformations in which:(i) n'(ii) n'= 5n (n = 5, 6, 7);= 2n2 (n = – 1, 0,1).

Ex. 5: If the operands are all the numbers (fractional included) between O and I,
and n' = 1/2 n, is the transformation closed? (Hint: try some representativevalues for n: 1/2, 3/4, 1/4, 0.01, 0.99; try till you become sure of the answer.)
Ex. 6: (Continued) With the same operands, is the transformation closed if n' =1/(n + 1)?

2/7. The transformations mentioned so far have all been characterised by being “single-valued”. A transformation is single-valued if it converts each operand to only one transform. (Other
types are also possible and important, as will be seen in S.9/2 and12/8.) Thus the transformation↓A B C DB A A Dis single-valued; but the transformationA↓ B or DBCA B or C

D
D

is not single-valued.
2/8. Of the single-valued transformations, a type of some importance in special cases is that which is one-one. In this case thetransforms are all different from one another. Thus not only does
each operand give a unique transform (from the single-valuedness) but each transform indicates (inversely) a unique operand.
Such a transformation is

Ex. 1: The operands are the ten digits 0, 1, … 9; the transform is the third decimal
digit of log10 (n + 4). (For instance, if the operand is 3, we find in succession,
7, log107, 0.8451, and 5; so 3 → 5.) Is the transformation one-one or manyone? (Hint: find the transforms of 0, 1, and so on in succession; use four-figure tables.)2/9. The identity. An important transformation, apt to be dismissed by the beginner as a nullity, is the identical transformation, in which no change occurs, in which each transform is thesame as its operand. If the operands are all different it is necessarily one-one. An example is f in Ex. 2/6/2. In condensed notationn' = n.
Ex. 1: At the opening of a shop’s cash register, the transformation to be made on
its contained money is, in some machines, shown by a flag. What flag showsat the identical transformation ?
Ex. 2: In cricket, the runs made during an over transform the side’s score fromone value to another. Each distinct number of runs defines a distinct transformation: thus if eight runs are scored in the over, the transformation is
specified by n' = n + 8. What is the cricketer’s name for the identical transformation ?

2/10. Representation by matrix. All these transformations can be
represented in a single schema, which shows clearly their mutual
relations. (The method will become particularly useful in Chapter
9 and subsequently.)
Write the operands in a horizontal row, and the possible transforms in a column below and to the left, so that they form twosides of a rectangle. Given a particular transformation, put a “+”at the intersection of a row and column if the operand at the headof the column is transformed to the element at the left-hand side;otherwise insert a zero. Thus the transformation
A B C↓ A C C
would be shown as
A
BC↓This example is one-one but not closed.
On the other hand, the transformation of Ex. 2/6/2(e) is not oneone, for the transform “1” does not indicate a unique operand. A

A
+
0
0
B
0
0
0
C
0
+
+
The arrow at the top left corner serves to show the direction of thetransitions. Thus every transformation can be shown as a matrix.

14

15

↓

A B C D E F G H
F H K L G J E M

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

CHANGE

If the transformation is large, dots can be used in the matrix iftheir meaning is unambiguous. Thus the matrix of the transformation in which n' = n + 2, and in which the operands are the positive
integers from 1 onwards, could be shown as

The generation and properties of such a series must now be considered.
Suppose the second transformation of S.2/3 (call it Alpha) has
been used to turn an English message into code. Suppose thecoded message to be again so encoded by Alpha—what effect will
this have ? The effect can be traced letter by letter. Thus at the firstcoding A became B, which, at the second coding, becomes C; soover the double procedure A has become C, or in the usual notation A → C. Similarly B → D; and so on to Y → A and Z → B.
Thus the double application of Alpha causes changes that areexactly the same as those produced by a single application of thetransformation

↓

1

2

3

4

5

…

1
0
0
0
0
0
…
2
…
0
0
0
0
0
3
…
+
0
0
0
0
4
…
0
+
0
0
0
5
…
0
0
+
0
0
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
(The symbols in the main diagonal, from the top left-hand corner,
have been given in bold type to make clear the positional relations.)
Ex. 1: How are the +’s distributed in the matrix of an identical transformation?
Ex. 2: Of the three transformations, which is (a) one-one, (b) single-valued but
not one-one, (c) not single-valued ?
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
↓ A B C D
↓ A B C D
↓ A B C D
A + 0 0 +A 0 + 0 0
A 0 0 0 0
B 0 0 + 0
B 0 0 0 +B + 0 0 +C + 0 0 0
C + 0 0 0
C 0 + 0 0
D 0 + 0 +D 0 0 + 0
D 0 0 + 0
Ex. 3: Can a closed transformation have a matrix with (a) a row entirely of zeros?
(b) a column of zeros ?
Ex. 4: Form the matrix of the transformation that has n' = 2n and the integers as
operands, making clear the distribution of the +’s. Do they he on a straightline? Draw the graph of y = 2x; have the lines any resemblance?
Ex. 5: Take a pack of playing cards, shuffle them, and deal out sixteen cards face
upwards in a four-by-four square. Into a four-by-four matrix write + if thecard in the corresponding place is black and o if it is red. Try some examples
and identify the type of each, as in Ex. 2.
Ex. 6: When there are two operands and the transformation is closed, how manydifferent matrices are there?
Ex. 7: (Continued). How many are single-valued ?

A B … Y Z

↓ C D … A BThus, from each closed transformation we can obtain anotherclosed transformation whose effect, if applied once, is identicalwith the first one’s effect if applied twice. The second is said to be
the “square” of the first, and to be one of its “powers” (S.2/14). If
the first one was represented by T, the second will be represented
by T2; which is to be regarded for the moment as simply a clear
and convenient label for the new transformation.
a b c
Ex. 1: If A: ↓ c c a' what is A2?
Ex. 2: Write down some identity transformation; what is its square?
Ex. 3: (See Ex. 2/4/3.) What is A2?
Ex. 4: What transformation is obtained when the transformation n' = n+ 1 isapplied twice to the positive integers? Write the answer in abbreviatedform, as n' = . . . . (Hint: try writing the transformation out in full as in
S.2/4.)
Ex. 5: What transformation is obtained when the transformation n' = 7n is applied
twice to the positive integers?
Ex. 6: If K is the transformation↓ A B C
A
B
C

0
0
+

+
0
0

+
0
0

R EP EA TED C H A N GE
2/11. Power. The basic properties of the closed single-valued
transformation have now been examined in so far as its single
action is concerned, but such a transformation may be applied
more than once, generating a series of changes analogous to theseries of changes that a dynamic system goes through when active.

what is K2? Give the result in matrix form. (Hint: try re-writing K in someother form and then convert back.)
Ex. 7: Try to apply the transformation W twice:
W: ↓ f g h
g h k

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17

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CHANGE

2/12. The trial in the previous exercise will make clear the importance of closure. An unclosed transformation such as W cannot beapplied twice; for although it changes h to k, its effect on k is
undefined, so it can go no farther. The unclosed transformation isthus like a machine that takes one step and then jams.

So the double application causes the same change as a single
application of the transformation m' = 4m – 9.

2/13. Elimination. When a transformation is given in abbreviatedarm, such as n' = n + 1, the result of its double application must be
found, if only the methods described so far are used, by re-writing
he transformation to show every operand, performing the double
application, and then re-abbreviating. There is, however, aquicker method. To demonstrate and explain it, let us write out In
full he transformation T: n' = n + 1, on the positive integers, showing he results of its double application and, underneath, the general symbol for what lies above:
T: ↓ 1 2 3 … n …
2 3 4 … n' …
T: ↓ 3 4 5 … n" …
n" is used as a natural symbol for the transform of n', just as n' is
the transform of n.
Now we are given that n' = n + 1. As we apply the same transformation again it follows that n" must be I more than n". Thusn" = n' + 1.
To specify the single transformation T 2 we want an equationthat will show directly what the transform n" is in terms of theoperand n. Finding the equation is simply a matter of algebraic
elimination: from the two equations n" = n' + 1 and n' = n + 1,
eliminate n'. Substituting for n' in the first equation we get (withbrackets to show the derivation) n" = (n + 1) + 1, i.e. n" = n + 2.
This equation gives correctly the relation between operand (n)and transform (n") when T 2 is applied, and in that way T 2 is specified. For uniformity of notation the equation should now be re-written as m' = m + 2. This is the transformation, in standard notation,
whose single application (hence the single prime on m) causes thesame change as the double application of T. (The change from n tom is a mere change of name, made to avoid confusion.)
The rule is quite general. Thus, if the transformation is n' =2n – 3, then a second application will give second transforms n"that are related to the first by n" = 2n' – 3. Substitute for n', using
brackets freely:

2/14. Higher powers. Higher powers are found simply by adding
symbols for higher transforms, n"', etc., and eliminating the symbols for the intermediate transforms. Thus, find the transformation caused by three applications of n' = 2n – 3. Set up theequations relating step to step:n' = 2n – 3n" = 2n' – 3n"' = 2n" – 3
Take the last equation and substitute for n", gettingn"' = 2(2n' – 3) – 3= 4n' – 9.
Now substitute for n':n"' = 4(2n – 3) – 9= 8n – 21.
So the triple application causes the same changes as would becaused by a single application of m' = 8m – 21. If the original wasT, this is T3.
Ex. 1: Eliminate n' from n" = 3n' and n' = 3n. Form the transformation corresponding to the result and verify that two applications of n' = 3n gives thesame result.
Ex. 2: Eliminate a' from a" = a' + 8 and a' = a + 8.
Ex. 3: Eliminate a" and a' from a'" = 7a", a" = 7a', and a' = 7a.
Ex. 4: Eliminate k' from k" = –3k' + 2, k' = – 3k + 2. Verify as in Ex.1.
Ex. 5: Eliminate m' from m" = log m', m' = log m.
Ex. 6: Eliminate p' from p"=(p')2, p' =p2
Ex. 7: Find the transformations that are equivalent to double applications, on all
the positive numbers greater than 1, of:(i) n' = 2n + 3;(ii) n' = n2 + n;(iii) n' = 1 + 2log n.

n" = 2(2n – 3) – 3= 4n – 9.

Ex. 8: Find the transformation that is equivalent to a triple application ofn' = –3n – 1 to the positive and negative integers and zero. Verify as inEx. 1.
Ex. 9: Find the transformations equivalent to the second, third, and further
applications of the transformation n' = 1/(1 + n). (Note: the series discovered by Fibonacci in the 12th century, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13,... is extended bytaking as next term the sum of the previous two; thus, 3 + 5 = 8, 5 + 8 = 13,
8 + 13 = ......, etc.)

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CHANGE

Ex. 10: What is the result of applying the transformation n' = 1/n twice,when the operands are all the positive rational numbers (i.e. all thefractions) ?
Ex. 11: Here is a geometrical transformation. Draw a straight line on paper andmark its ends A and B. This line, in its length and position, is the operand.
Obtain its transform, with ends A' and B', by the transformation-rule R: A' is
midway between A and B; B' is found by rotating the line A'B about A'
through a right angle anticlockwise. Draw such a line, apply R repeatedly,
and satisfy yourself about how the system behaves.
*Ex. 12: (Continued). If familiar with analytical geometry, let A start at (0,0) andB at (0,1), and find the limiting position. (Hint: Build up A’s final x-co-ordinate as a series, and sum; similarly for A’s y-co- ordinate.)transformation U, which will give a transform U(T(n)). Thus, if
they are

2/15. Notation. The notation that indicates the transform by theaddition of a prime (') is convenient if only one transformation isunder consideration; but if several transformations might act on n,
the symbol n' does not show which one has acted. For this reason,
another symbol is sometimes used: if n is the operand, and transformation T is applied, the transform is represented by T(n). The
four pieces of type, two letters and two parentheses, represent one
quantity, a fact that is apt to be confusing until one is used to it.
T(n), really n' in disguise, can be transformed again, and would be
written T(T(n)) if the notation were consistent; actually the outerbrackets are usually eliminated and the T ’s combined, so that n"
is written as T2(n). The exercises are intended to make this notation familiar, for the change is only one of notation.

V is said to be the product or composition of T and U. It gives
simply the result of T and U being applied in succession, in thatorder one step each.
If U is applied first, then U(b) is, in the example above, c, andT(c) is a: so T(U(b)) is a, not the same as U(T(b)). The product,when U and T are applied in the other order is

1 2 3
Ex. 1: If f: ↓ 3 1 2
what is f(3)? f(1)? f2(3)?
Ex. 2: Write out in full the transformation g on the operands, 6, 7, 8, if g(6) = 8,g(7) = 7, g(8) = 8.
Ex. 3: Write out in full the transformation h on the operands α, β, χ, δ, if h( α) =χ, h2(α) = β, h3( α) = δ , h4( α) = α.
Ex. 4: If A(n) is n + 2, what is A(15)?
Ex. 5: If f(n) is –n2 + 4, what is f(2)?
Ex. 6: If T(n) is 3n, what is T2(n) ? (Hint: if uncertain, write out T in extenso.)
Ex. 7: If I is an identity transformation, and t one of its operands, what is I(t)?

T: ↓a b c db d a band U: ↓a b c dd c d bthen T(b,) is d, and U(T(b)) is U(d), which is b. T and U applied inthat order, thus define a new transformation, V, which is easilyfound to be
V: ↓

W: ↓

a b c dc b d ca b c db a b dFor convenience, V can be written as UT, and W as TU. It must
always be remembered that a change of the order in the productmay change the transformation.
(It will be noticed that V may be impossible, i.e. not exist, if
some of T ’s transforms are not operands for U.)
Ex. 1: Write out in full the transformation U2T.
Ex. 2: Write out in full: UTU.
*Ex. 3: Represent T and U by matrices and then multiply these two matrices in
the usual way (rows into columns), letting the product and sum of +’s be +:call the resulting matrix M1. Represent V by a matrix, call it M2. Compare
M1 and M2.

2/16. Product. We have just seen that after a transformation T has
been applied to an operand n, the transform T(n) can be treated as
an operand by T again, getting T(T(n)), which is written T2(n). In
exactly the same way T(n) may perhaps become operand to a

2/17. Kinematic graph. So far we have studied each transformation chiefly by observing its effect, in a single action on all its possible operands (e g. S.2/3). Another method (applicable only
when the transformation is closed) is to study its effect on a single
operand over many, repeated, applications. The method corresponds, in the study of a dynamic system, to setting it at some initial state and then allowing it to go on, without further
interference, through such a series of changes as its inner nature
determines. Thus, in an automatic telephone system we mightobserve all the changes that follow the dialling of a number, or in

20

21

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

CHANGEan ants’ colony we might observe all the changes that follow theplacing of a piece of meat near-by.
Suppose, for definiteness, we have the transformation

When the transformation becomes more complex an importantfeature begins to show. Thus suppose the transformation is

U: ↓A B C D E
D A E D D

If U is applied to C, then to U(C), then to U2(C), then to U3(C) andso on, there results the series: C, E, D, D, D,... and so on, with D
continuing for ever. If U is applied similarly to A there results theseries A, D, D, D, . . . with D continuing again.
These results can be shown graphically, thereby displaying to theglance results that otherwise can be apprehended only after
detailed study. To form the kinematic graph of a transformation,
the set of operands is written down, each in any convenient place,and the elements joined by arrows with the rule that an arrow goesfrom A to B if and only if A is transformed in one step to B. Thus
U gives the kinematic graph
C→E→D←A←B(Whether D has a re-entrant arrow attached to itself is optional if
no misunderstanding is likely to occur.)If the graph consisted of buttons (the operands) tied together
with string (the transitions) it could, as a network, be pulled into
different shapes:
C→E

B→ A
D

or:

B→A
D ←E←Cand so on. These different shapes are not regarded as different
graphs, provided the internal connexions are identical.
The elements that occur when C is transformed cumulatively byU (the series C, E, D, D, …) and the states encountered by a pointin the kinematic graph that starts at C and moves over only one
arrow at a step, always moving in the direction of the arrow, areobviously always in correspondence. Since we can often follow
the movement of a point along a line very much more easily thanwe can compute U(C), U2(C), etc., especially if the transformation is complicated, the graph is often a most convenient representation of the transformation in pictorial form. The moving point
will be called the representative point.
22

A B C DE F G H I J K L M N P Q
T: ↓ D H D I Q G Q H A E E N B A N E
Its kinematic graph is:
P
N→ A → D
L

M → B →H

C
K

E

I

Q ←G ←FJ
By starting at any state and following the chain of arrows we canverify that, under repeated transformation, the representative
point always moves either to some state at which it stops, or tosome cycle around which it circulates indefinitely. Such a graphis like a map of a country’s water drainage, showing, if a drop ofwater or a representative point starts at any place, to what region
it will come eventually. These separate regions are the graph’s
basins. These matters obviously have some relation to what ismeant by “stability”, to which we shall come in Chapter 5.
Ex. 1: Draw the kinematic graphs of the transformations of A and B in Ex. 2/4/3.
Ex. 2: How can the graph of an identical transformation be recognised at a
glance?
Ex. 3: Draw the graphs of some simple closed one-one transformations. What istheir characteristic feature?
Ex. 4: Draw the graph of the transformation V in which n, is the third decimal
digit of log10(n + 20) and the operands are the ten digits 0, 1, . . ., 9.
Ex. 5: (Continued) From the graph of V read off at once what is V(8), V2(4),V4(6), V84(5).
Ex. 6: If the transformation is one-one, can two arrows come to a single point?
Ex. 7: If the transformation is many-one, can two arrows come to a single point ?
Ex. 8: Form some closed single-valued transformations like T, draw their kinematic graphs, and notice their characteristic features.
Ex. 9: If the transformation is single-valued, can one basin contain two cycles?

23THE DETERMINATE MACHINE

3

ChapterT H E D ETERMIN A TE M ACHI NE

system, started at a given “state”, will thus repeatedly passthrough the same succession of states
By a state of a system is meant any well-defined condition orproperty that can be recognised if it occurs again. Every system
will naturally have many possible states.
When the beads are released, their positions (P) undergo aseries of changes, P0, P1, P2 ...; this point of view at once relates
the system to a transformation↓

P0 P1 P2 P3 …
P1 P2 P3 P4 …

3/1. Having now established a clear set of ideas about transformations, we can turn to their first application: the establishment of an
exact parallelism between the properties of transformations, asdeveloped here, and the properties of machines and dynamic systems, as found in the real world.
About the best definition of “machine” there could of course be
much dispute. A determinate machine is defined as that which
behaves in the same way as does a closed single-valued transformation. The justification is simply that the definition works— thatit gives us what we want, and nowhere runs grossly counter towhat we feel intuitively to be reasonable. The real justification
does not consist of what is said in this section, but of what follows
in the remainder of the book, and, perhaps, in further developments.
It should be noticed that the definition refers to a way of behaving, not to a material thing. We are concerned in this book withthose aspects of systems that are determinate—that follow regularand reproducible courses. It is the determinateness that we shallstudy, not the material substance. (The matter has been referred tobefore in Chapter 1.)
Throughout Part I, we shall consider determinate machines, andthe transformations to be related to them will all be single-valued.
Not until S.9/2 shall we consider the more general type that isdeterminate only in a statistical sense.
As a second restriction, this Chapter will deal only with themachine in isolation—the machine to which nothing actively is
being done.
As a simple and typical example of a determinate machine, consider a heavy iron frame that contains a number of heavy beads
joined to each other and to the frame by springs. If the circumstances are constant, and the beads are repeatedly forced to somedefined position and then released, the beads’ movements will oneach occasion be the same, i.e. follow the same path. The whole

Clearly, the operands of the transformation correspond to thestates of the system.
The series of positions taken by the system in time clearly corresponds to the series of elements generated by the successive
powers of the transformation (S.2/14). Such a sequence of states
defines a trajectory or line of behaviour.
Next, the fact that a determinate machine, from one state, cannot proceed to both of two different states corresponds, in thetransformation, to the restriction that each transform is single-valued.
Let us now, merely to get started, take some further examples,taking the complications as they come.
A bacteriological culture that has just been inoculated will
increase in “number of organisms present” from hour to hour. If
at first the numbers double in each hour, the number in the culture
will change in the same way hour by hour as n is changed in successive powers of the transformation n' = 2n.
If the organism is somewhat capricious in its growth, the system’s behaviour, i.e. what state will follow a given state, becomessomewhat indeterminate So “determinateness” in the real systemevidently corresponds’ in the transformation, to the transform ofa given operand being single-valued.
Next consider a clock, in good order and wound, whose hands,
pointing now to a certain place on the dial, will point to somedeterminate place after the lapse of a given time. The positions of
its hands correspond to the transformation’s elements. A single
transformation corresponds to the progress over a unit interval oftime; it will obviously be of the form n' = n + k.
In this case, the “operator” at work is essentially undefinable forit has no clear or natural bounds. It includes everything that makes
the clock go: the mainspring (or gravity), the stiffness of the brass

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A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE DETERMINATE MACHINE Appears

Courts
Follows
Female  Enters nest
Spawns







Leads

Shows nest entrance  Male
Trembles
Fertilises
in the wheels, the oil on the pivots, the properties of steel, the interactions between atoms of iron, and so on with no definite limit. As
we said in S.2/3, the “operator” is often poorly defined and somewhat arbitrary—a concept of little scientific use. The transformation, however, is perfectly well defined, for it refers only to the factsof the changes, not to more or less hypothetical reasons for them.
A series of changes as regular as those of the clock are notreadily found in the biological world, but the regular courses ofsome diseases show something of the same features. Thus in thedays before the sulphonamides, the lung in lobar pneumonia
passed typically through the series of states: Infection → consolidation → red hepatisation → grey hepatisation → resolution →health. Such a series of states corresponds to a transformation thatis well defined, though not numerical.
Next consider an iron casting that has been heated so that its
various parts are at various but determinate temperatures. If its
circumstances are fixed, these temperatures will change in a
determinate way with time. The casting’s state at any one moment
will be a set of temperatures (a vector, S.3/5), and the passage
from state to state, S0 → S1 → S2 →…, will correspond to theoperation of a transformation, converting operand S0 successively
to T(S0), T2(S0), T3(S0),…, etc.
A more complex example, emphasising that transformations do
not have to be numerical to be well defined, is given by certain
forms of reflex animal behaviour. Thus the male and female
threespined stickleback form, with certain parts of their environment, a determinate dynamic system. Tinbergen (in his Study ofInstinct) describes the system’s successive states as follows: “Eachreaction of either male or female is released by the preceding reaction of the partner. Each arrow (in the diagram below) represents a
causal relation that by means of dummy tests has actually been
proved to exist. The male’s first reaction, the zigzag dance, isdependent on a visual stimulus from the female, in which the sign
stimuli “swollen abdomen” and the special movements play a part.
The female reacts to the red colour of the male and to his zigzag
dance by swimming right towards him. This movement induces
the male to turn round and to swim rapidly to the nest. This, in turn,
entices the female to follow him, thereby stimulating the male topoint its head into the entrance. His behaviour now releases thefemale’s next reaction: she enters the nest.... This again releases
the quivering reaction in the male which induces spawning. The
presence of fresh eggs in the nest makes the male fertilise them.”
Tinbergen summarises the succession of states as follows:

He thus describes a typical trajectory.
Further examples are hardly necessary, for the various branchesof science to which cybernetics is applied will provide an abundance, and each reader should supply examples to suit his own
speciality.
By relating machine and transformation we enter the disciplinethat relates the behaviours of real physical systems to the properties of symbolic expressions, written with pen on paper. The
whole subject of “mathematical physics” is a part of this discipline. The methods used in this book are however somewhat
broader in scope for mathematical physics tends to treat chiefly
systems that are continuous and linear (S.3/7). The restriction
makes its methods hardly applicable to biological subjects, for in
biology the systems arc almost always non- linear, often
non-continuous, and in many cases not even metrical, i.e. expressible in number, The exercises below (S.3/4) are arranged as asequence, to show the gradation from the very general methods
used in this book to those commonly used in mathematical physics. The exercises are also important as illustrations of the correspondences between transformations and real systems.
To summarise: Every machine or dynamic system has many
distinguishable states. If it is a determinate machine, fixing its circumstances and the state it is at will determine, i.e. make unique
the state it next moves to. These transitions of state correspond to
those of a transformation on operands, each state corresponding toa particular operand. Each state that the machine next moves tocorresponds to that operand’s transform. The successive powersof the transformation correspond, in the machine, to allowing
double, treble, etc., the unit time-interval to elapse before recording the next state. And since a determinate machine cannot go to
two states at once, the corresponding transformation must be single-valued.

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Zigzag danceA N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE DETERMINATE MACHINE

Ex.: Name two states that are related as operand and transform, withtime as the operator, taking the dynamic system from:(a) Cooking, (b) Lighting a fire; (c) The petrol engine; (d) Embryological development; (e) Meteorology; (f) Endocrinology; (g) Economics; (h) Animal behaviour; (i) Cosmology. (Meticulous accuracy is not
required.)

3/4. Machine and transformation. The parallelism between
machine and transformation is shown most obviously when wecompare the machine’s behaviour, as state succeeds state, with thekinematic graph (S.2/17), as the arrows lead from element to element. If a particular machine and a particular graph show full correspondence it will be found that:

3/2. Closure. Another reason for the importance of closure can
now be seen. The typical machine can always be allowed to go on
in time for a little longer, simply by the experimenter doing nothing! This means that no particular limit exists to the power that thetransformation can be raised to. Only the closed transformations
allow, in general, this raising to any power. Thus the transformation T
T: ↓a b c d e f g
e b m f g c f

is not closed. T4(a) is c and T5(a) is m. But T(m) is not defined, so
T6(a) is not defined. With a as initial state, this transformation
does not define what happens after five steps. Thus the transformation that represents a machine must be closed. The full significance of this fact will appear in S.10/4.

(1) Each possible state of the machine corresponds uniquely toa particular element in the graph, and vice versa. The correspondence is one-one.
(2) Each succession of states that the machine passes throughbecause of its inner dynamic nature corresponds to an unbroken
chain of arrows through the corresponding elements.
(3) If the machine goes to a state and remains there (a state ofequilibrium, S.5/3) the element that corresponds to the state will
have no arrow leaving it (or a re-entrant one, S.2/17).
(4) If the machine passes into a regularly recurring cycle ofstates, the graph will show a circuit of arrows passing through thecorresponding elements.
(5) The stopping of a machine by the experimenter, and its
restarting from some new, arbitrarily selected, state corresponds,
in the graph, to a movement of the representative point from oneelement to another when the movement is due to the arbitrary
action of the mathematician and not to an arrow.
When a real machine and a transformation are so related, thetransformation is the canonical representation of the machine,
and the machine is said to embody the transformation.

3/3. The discrete machine. At this point it may be objected thatmost machines, whether man-made or natural, are smooth-working, while the transformations that have been discussed so farchange by discrete jumps. These discrete transformations are,however, the best introduction to the subject. Their great advantage IS their absolute freedom from subtlety and vagueness, forevery one of their properties is unambiguously either present orabsent. This simplicity makes possible a security of deduction thatis essential if further developments are to be reliable. The subject
was touched on in S.2/1.
In any case the discrepancy is of no real importance. The discretechange has only to become small enough in its jump to approximate
as closely as is desired to the continuous change. It must further beremembered that in natural phenomena the observations are almost
invariably made at discrete intervals; the “continuity” ascribed tonatural events has often been put there by the observer’s imagination, not by actual observation at each of an infinite number ofpoints. Thus the real truth is that the natural system is observed at
discrete points, and our transformation represents it at discrete
points. There can, therefore, be no real incompatibility.

Ex. 1: A culture medium is inoculated with a thousand bacteria, their number
doubles in each half-hour. Write down the corresponding transformation
Ex. 2: (Continued.) Find n after the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, . . ., 6th steps.
Ex. 3: (Continued.) (i) Draw the ordinary graph, with two axes, showing the culture’s changes in number with time. (ii) Draw the kinematic graph of the system’s changes of state.
Ex. 4: A culture medium contains 109 bacteria and a disinfectant that, in eachminute, kills 20 per cent of the survivors. Express the change in the numberof survivors as a transformation.
Ex. 5: ( Continued.) (i) Find the numbers of survivors after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 minutes.
(ii) To what limit does the number tend as time goes on indefinitely?
Ex. 6: Draw the kinematic graph of the transformation in which n' is, in a tableof four-figure logarithms, the rounded-off right-hand digit of log10 (n+70).
What would be the behaviour of a corresponding machine?
Ex. 7: (Continued, but with 70 changed to 90).
Ex. 8: (Continued, but with 70 changed to 10.) How many basins has thisgraph?

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A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE DETERMINATE MACHINE

Ex. 9: In each decade a country’s population diminishes by 10 per cent, but inthe same interval a million immigrants are added. Express the change fromdecade to decade as a transformation, assuming that the changes occur infinite steps.
Ex. 10: (Continued.) If the country at one moment has twenty million inhabitants, find what the population will be at the next three decades.
Ex. 11: (Continued.) Find, in any way you can, at what number the population
will remain stationary. (Hint: when the population is “stationary” what relation exists between the numbers at the beginning and at the end of thedecade?—what relation between operand and transform?)
Ex. 12: A growing tadpole increases in length each day by 1.2 mm. Express thisas a transformation.
Ex. 13: Bacteria are growing in a culture by an assumed simple conversion offood to bacterium; so if there was initially enough food for 108 bacteria andthe bacteria now number n, then the remaining food is proportional to 108–
n. If the law of mass action holds, the bacteria will increase in each interval
by a number proportional to the product: (number of bacteria) x (amount ofremaining food). In this particular culture the bacteria are increasing, in eachhour, by 10–8n (108–n). Express the changes from hour to hour by a transformation.
Ex. 14: (Continued.) If the culture now has 10,000,000 bacteria, find what the
number will be after 1, 2, . . ., 5 hours.
Ex. 15: (Continued.) Draw an ordinary graph with two axes showing how thenumber of bacteria will change with time.

cerned with them. It should be noticed that we are now beginningto consider the relation, most important in machinery that exists
between the whole and the parts. Thus, it often happens that thestate of the whole is given by a list of the states taken, at thatmoment, by each of the parts.
Such a quantity is a vector, which is defined as a compound
entity, having a definite number of components. It is conveniently written thus: (a1, a2, . . ., an), which means that the firstcomponent has the particular value a1, the second the value a2,
and so on.
A vector is essentially a sort of variable, but more complex thanthe ordinary numerical variable met with in elementary mathematics. It is a natural generalisation of “variable”, and is ofextreme importance, especially in the subjects considered in thisbook. The reader is advised to make himself as familiar as possible with it, applying it incessantly in his everyday life, until it has
become as ordinary and well understood as the idea of a variable.
It is not too much to say that his familiarity with vectors will
largely determine his success with the rest of the book.
Here are some well-known examples.

V EC TO RS
3/5. In the previous sections a machine’s “state” has been
regarded as something that is known as a whole, not requiring
more detailed specification. States of this type are particularlycommon in biological systems where, for instance, characteristic
postures or expressions or patterns can be recognised with confidence though no analysis of their components has been made. The
states described by Tinbergen in S.3/1 are of this type. So are thetypes of cloud recognised by the meteorologist. The earlier sections of this chapter will have made clear that a theory of suchunanalysed states can be rigorous.
Nevertheless, systems often have states whose specification
demands (for whatever reason) further analysis. Thus suppose anews item over the radio were to give us the “state”, at a certain
hour, of a Marathon race now being run; it would proceed to give,for each runner, his position on the road at that hour. These positions, as a set, specify the “state” of the race. So the “state” of therace as a whole is given by the various states (positions) of thevarious runners, taken simultaneously. Such “compound” states
are extremely common, and the rest of the book will be much con30(1) A ship’s “position” at any moment cannot be described by asimple number; two numbers are necessary: its latitude and its
longitude. “Position” is thus a vector with two components. One
ship s position might, for instance, be given by the vector (58°N,
17°W). In 24 hours, this position might undergo the transition(58°N, 17°W) → (59°N, 20°W).
(2) “The weather at Kew” cannot be specified by a single number, but it can be specified to any desired completeness by our taking sufficient components. An approximation would be thevector: height of barometer, temperature, cloudiness, humidity),
and a particular state might be (998 mbars, 56.2°F, 8, 72%). A
weather prophet is accurate if he can predict correctly what statethis present a state will change to.
(3) Most of the administrative “forms” that have to be filled inare really intended to define some vector. Thus the form that the
motorist has to fill in:
Age of car: ......................
Horse-power: ..................
Colour: ............................

is merely a vector written vertically.
Two vectors are considered equal only if each component of31

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE DETERMINATE MACHINE

the one is equal to the corresponding component of the other.
Thus if there is a vector (w,x,y,z), in which each component issome number, and if two particular vectors are (4,3,8,2) and(4,3,8,1), then these two particular vectors are unequal; for, in the
fourth component, 2 is not equal to 1. (If they have different components, e.g. (4,3,8,2) and (H,T), then they are simply not comparable.)
When such a vector is transformed, the operation is in no way
different from any other transformation, provided we rememberthat the operand is the vector as a whole, not the individual components (though how they are to change is, of course, an essential
part of the transformation’s definition). Suppose, for instance, the“system” consists of two coins, each of which may show either
Head or Tail. The system has four states, which are(H,H) (H,T) (T,H) and (T,T).

Ex. 4: (Continued.) Express the transformation as a kinematic graph.
Ex. 5: The first operand, x, is the vector (0,1,1); the operator F is defined thus:(i) the left-hand number of the transform is the same as the middle numberof the operand;(ii) the middle number of the transform is the same as the right-hand numberof the operand;(iii) the right-hand number of the transform is the sum of the operand’s middle and right-hand numbers.
Thus, F(x) is (1,1,2), and F2(x) is (1,2,3). Find F3(x), F4(x), F5(x). (Hint:
compare Ex. 2/14/9.)

Suppose now my small niece does not like seeing two heads up,
but always alters that to (T,H), and has various other preferences.
It might be found that she always acted as the transformation
N: ↓(H,H) (H,T) (T,H) (T,T)(T,H) (T,T) (T,H) (H,H)

As a transformation on four elements, N differs in no way fromthose considered in the earlier sections.
There is no reason why a transformation on a set of vectors
should not be wholly arbitrary, but often in natural science thetransformation has some simplicity. Often the componentschange in some way that is describable by a more or less simple
rule. Thus if M were:(H,T) (T,H) (T,T)
M: ↓ (H,H)(T,H) (T,T) (H,H) (H,T)
it could be described by saying that the first component always
changes while the second always remains unchanged.
Finally, nothing said so far excludes the possibility that some or
all of the components may themselves be vectors! (E.g. S.6/3.)
But we shall avoid such complications if possible.
Ex. 1: Using ABC as first operand, find the transformation generated by repeatedapplication of the operator “move the left-hand letter to the right” (e.g. ABC→ BCA).
Ex. 2: (Continued.) Express the transformation as a kinematic graph.
Ex. 3: Using (1, –1) as first operand, find the other elements generated byrepeated application of the operator “interchange the two numbers and thenmultiply the new left-hand number by minus one”.

32

3/6. Notation. The last exercise will have shown the clumsiness oftrying to persist in verbal descriptions. The transformation F is infact made up of three sub-transformations that are applied simultaneously, i.e. always in step. Thus one sub-transformation acts on
the left-hand number, changing it successively through 0 → 1 →
1 → 2 → 3 → 5, etc. If we call the three components a, b, and c,then F, operating on the vector (a, b, c), is equivalent to the simultaneous action of the three sub-transformations, each acting on
one component only: a' = b
F:  b' = c c' = b + c
Thus, a' = b says that the new value of a, the left-hand number inthe transform, is the same as the middle number in the operand;
and so on. Let us try some illustrations of this new method; no
new idea is involved, only a new manipulation of symbols. (Thereader is advised to work through all the exercises, since many
important features appear, and they are not referred to elsewhere.)Ex. 1: If the operands are of the form (a,b), and one of them is (1/2,2), find thevectors produced by repeated application to it of the transformation T: a' = b
T:  b' =– a(Hint: find T(1/2,2), T2(l,2), etc.)
Ex. 2: If the operands are vectors of the form (v,w,x,y,z) and U is
 v' = w
 w' = v
U:  x' = x y' = z z' = yfind U(a), where a = (2,1,0,2,2).
Ex. 3: (Continued.) Draw the kinematic graph of U if its only operands are a,U(a), U2(a), etc.

33

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE DETERMINATE MACHINE

Ex. 4: (Continued.) How would the graph alter if further operands wereadded ?
Ex. 5: Find the transform of (3, – 2,1) by A if the general form is (g,h,j) and thetransformation is g' = 2g – h
A:  h' = h – j j' = g + h
Ex. 6: Arthur and Bill agree to have a gamble. Each is to divide his money into
two equal parts, and at the umpire’s signal each is to pass one part over to theother player. Each is then again to divide his new wealth into two equal parts
and at a signal to pass a half to the other; and so on. Arthur started with 8/and Bill with 4/-. Represent the initial operand by the vector (8,4). Find, in
any way you can, all its subsequent transforms.
Ex. 7: (Continued.) Express the transformation by equations as in Ex. 5
above.
Ex. 8: (Continued.) Charles and David decide to play a similar game except thateach will hand over a sum equal to a half of what the other possesses. If they
start with 30/- and 34/- respectively, what will happen to these quantities ?
Ex. 9: (Continued.) Express the transformation by equations as in Ex. 5.
Ex. 10: If, in Ex. 8, other sums of money had been started with, who in general
would be the winner?
Ex. 11 : In an aquarium two species of animalcule are prey and predator. In eachday, each predator destroys one prey, and also divides to become two predators. If today the aquarium has m prey and n predators, express theirchanges as a transformation.
Ex. 12: (Continued.) What is the operand of this transformation?
Ex. 13: (Continued.) If the state was initially (150,10), find how it changed overthe first four days.
Ex. 14: A certain pendulum swings approximately in accordance with the transformation x' = 1/2(x–y), y' = 1/2(x + y), where x is its angular deviation fromthe vertical and y is its angular velocity; x' and y' are their values one second
later. It starts from the state (10,10); find how its angular deviation changes
from second to second over the first eight seconds. (Hint: find x', x", x"', etc.;
can they be found without calculating y', y", etc.?)
Ex. 15: (Continued.) Draw an ordinary graph (with axes for x and t) showing how
x’s value changed with time. Is the pendulum frictionless ?
Ex. 16: In a certain economic system a new law enacts that at each yearly readjustment the wages shall be raised by as many shillings as the price index
exceeds 100 in points. The economic effect of wages on the price index issuch that at the end of any year the price index has become equal to the wage
rate at the beginning of the year. Express the changes of wage-level andprice-index over the year as a transformation.
Ex. 17: (Continued.) If this year starts with the wages at 110 and the price index
at 110, find what their values will be over the next ten years.
Ex. 18: (Continued.) Draw an ordinary graph to show how prices and wages willchange. Is the law satisfactory?

Ex. 19: (Continued.) The system is next changed so that its transformation
becomes x' = 1/2(x + y), y = 1/2(x–y) + 100. It starts with wages and prices
both at 110. Calculate what will happen over the next ten years.
Ex. 20: (Continued.) Draw an ordinary graph to show how prices and wages willchange.
Ex. 21: Compare the graphs of Exs. 18 and 20. How would the distinction bedescribed in the vocabulary of economics?
Ex. 22: If the system of Ex. 19 were suddenly disturbed so that wages fell to 80
and prices rose to 120, and then left undisturbed, what would happen overthe next ten years? (Hint: use (80,120) as operand.)Ex. 23: (Continued.) Draw an ordinary graph to show how wages and prices
would change after the disturbance.
Ex. 24: Is transformation T one-one between the vectors (x1, x2) and the vectors(x1', x2') ?
 x ' = 2x + x
1
2
T:  1x2' = x1 + x2

34

(Hint: If (x1, x2) is given, is (x1', x2') uniquely determined ? And vice versa ?)*Ex. 25: Draw the kinematic graph of the 9-state system whose components areresidues:x' = x + y (Mod 3)y' = y + 2
How many basins has it ?

3/7. (This section may be omitted.) The previous section is of fundamental importance, for it is an introduction to the methods ofmathematical physics, as they are applied to dynamic systems.
The reader is therefore strongly advised to work through all theexercises, for only in this way can a real grasp of the principles be
obtained. If he has done this, he will be better equipped to appreciate the meaning of this section, which summarises the method.
The physicist starts by naming his variables—x1, x2, … xn. The
basic equations of the transformation can then always be obtainedby the following fundamental method:—(1) Take the first variable, x1, and consider what state it willchange to next. If it changes by finite steps the next state will be
x1' if continuously the next state will be x1+ dx1. (In the latter casehe may, equivalently, consider the value of dx1/dt.)(2) Use what is known about the system, and the laws of physics, to express the value of x1', or dx1/dt (i.e. what x1 will be) interms of the values that x1, …, xn (and any other necessary factors)
have now. In this way some equation such asx1' = 2αx1 – x3 or dx1/dt = 4k sin x3
is obtained.
35

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE DETERMINATE MACHINE(3) Repeat the process for each variable in turn until the wholetransformation is written down.
The set of equations so obtained—giving, for each variable inthe system, what it will be as a function of the present values ofthe variables and of any other necessary factors—is the canonicalrepresentation of the system. It is a standard form to which all
descriptions of a determinate dynamic system may be brought.
If the functions in the canonical representation are all linear, thesystem is said to be linear.
Given an initial state, the trajectory or line of behaviour may
now be computed by finding the powers of the transformation, as
in S.3/9.

3/9. “Unsolvable” equations. The exercises to S.3/6 will haveshown beyond question that if a closed and single-valued transformation is given, and also an initial state, then the trajectory fromthat state is both determined (i.e. single-valued) and can be foundby computation For if the initial state is x and the transformation
T, then the successive values (the trajectory) of x is the seriesx, T(x), T2(x), T3(x), T4(x), and so on.
This process, of deducing a trajectory when given a transformation and an initial state, is, mathematically, called “integrating”
the transformation (The word is used especially when the transformation is a set of differential equations, as in S.3/7; the process
is then also called “solving” the equations.)
If the reader has worked all through S.3/6, he is probably
already satisfied that, given a transformation and an initial state,
he can always obtain the trajectory. He will not therefore be discouraged if he hears certain differential equations referred to as“nonintegrable” or “unsolvable”. These words have a purely technical meaning, and mean only that the trajectory cannot be
obtained i f one is restricted to certain defined mathematical operations. Tustin’s Mechanism of Economic Systems shows clearly
how the economist may want to study systems and equations thatare of the type called “unsolvable”; and he shows how the economist can, in practice get what he wants.

*Ex. 1: Convert the transformation (now in canonical form)
dx/dt = ydy/dt = zdz/dt = z + 2xy–x2
to a differential equation of the third order in one variable, x. (Hint: Eliminate y and z and their derivatives.)*Ex. 2: The equation of the simple harmonic oscillator is often written
d 2x--------2 + ax = 0
dt
Convert this to canonical form in two independent variables. (Hint: Invert
the process used in Ex. 1.)*Ex. 3: Convert the equation
d 2x
2 dx
2
x --------2 – ( 1 – x ) ------ + --------------2 = 0
dt 1 + xdt
to canonical form in two variables.

3/8. After this discussion of differential equations, the reader who
is used to them may feel that he has now arrived at the “proper”
way of representing the effects of time, the arbitrary and discrete
tabular form of S.2/3 looking somewhat improper at first sight. He
should notice, however, that the algebraic way is a restricted way,
applicable only when the phenomena show the special property ofcontinuity (S.7/20). The tabular form, on the other hand, can beused always; for the tabular form includes the algebraic. This is ofsome importance to the biologist, who often has to deal with phenomena that will not fit naturally into the algebraic form. When
this happens, he should remember that the tabular form can always
provide the generality, and the rigour, that he needs. The rest of
this book will illustrate in many ways how naturally and easily thetabular form can be used to represent biological systems.
36

3/10. Phase space. When the components of a vector are numericalvariables, the transformation can be shown in geometric form, andthis form sometimes shows certain properties far more clearly andobviously than the algebraic forms that have been considered so far.
As example of the method, consider the transformation
x' = 1/2x + 1/2yy' = 1/2x + 1/2yof Ex. 3/6/7. If we take axes x and y, we can represent each particular vector, such as (8,4), by the point whose x-co-ordinate is 8
and whose y- co-ordinate is 4. The state of the system is thus represented initially by the point P in Fig. 3/10/l (I).
The transformation changes the vector to (6,6), and thus changes
the system’s state to P'. The movement is, of course, none other thanthe change drawn in the kinematic graph of S.2/17, now drawn in aplane with rectangular axes which contain numerical scales. This
two- dimensional space, in which the operands and transforms canbe represented by points, is called the phase-space of the system.
(The “button and string” freedom of S.2/17 is no longer possible.)37

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE DETERMINATE MACHINEIn II of the same figure are shown enough arrows to specify
generally what happens when any point is transformed. Here thearrows show the other changes that would have occurred hadother states been taken as the operands. It is easy to see, and toprove geometrically, that all the arrows in this case are given by
one rule: with any given point as operand, run the arrow at 45° up
and to the left (or down and to the right) till it meets the diagonal
represented by the line y = x.

Ex.: Sketch the phase-spaces, with detail merely sufficient to show the main features, of some of the systems in S.3/4 and 6.

3/11. What is a “system”? In S.3/1 it was stated that every real
determinate machine or dynamic system corresponds to a closed,
single-valued transformation; and the intervening sections haveillustrated the thesis with many examples. It does not, however,follow that the correspondence is always obvious; on the contrary,
any attempt to apply the thesis generally will soon encounter certain difficulties, which must now be considered.
Suppose we have before us a particular real dynamic system—a swinging pendulum, or a growing culture of bacteria, or an automatic pilot, or a native village, or a heart-lung preparation—and
we want to discover the corresponding transformation, starting,from the beginning and working from first principles. Suppose itis actually a simple pendulum, 40 cm long. We provide a suitable
recorder, draw the pendulum through 30° to one side, let it go, andrecord its position every quarter-second. We find the successive
deviations to be 30° (initially), 10°, and –24° (on the other side).
So our first estimate of the transformation, under the given conditions, is↓ 10° –24°
30°

Fig. 3/10/1

The usefulness of the phase-space (II) can now be seen, for thewhole range of trajectories in the system can be seen at a glance, frozen, as it were, into a single display. In this way it often happens thatsome property may be displayed, or some thesis proved, with thegreatest ease, where the algebraic form would have been obscure.
Such a representation in a plane is possible only when the vector has two components. When it has three, a representation by athree- dimensional model, or a perspective drawing, is often still
useful. When the number of components exceeds three, actual
representation is no longer possible, but the principle remains, anda sketch representing such a higher-dimensional structure may
still be most useful, especially when what is significant are thegeneral topological, rather than the detailed, properties.
(The words “phase space” are sometimes used to refer to theempty space before the arrows have been inserted, i.e. the space
into which any set of arrows may be inserted, or the diagram, suchas II above, containing the set of arrows appropriate to a particulartransformation. The context usually makes obvious which isintended.)

38

10°

Next, as good scientists, we check that transition from 10°: wedraw the pendulum aside to 10°, let it go, and find that, a quarter-second later, it is at +3°! Evidently the change from 10° is not
single-valued—the system is contradicting itself. What are we to
do now?
Our difficulty is typical in scientific investigation and is fundamental: we want the transformation to be single-valued but it will
not come so. We cannot give up the demand for singleness, for to
do so would be to give up the hope of making single-valued predictions. Fortunately, experience has long since shown what s to
be done: the system must be re-defined.
At this point we must be clear about how a “system” is to be
defined Our first impulse is to point at the pendulum and to “thesystem is that thing there”. This method, however, has a fundamental disadvantage: every material object contains no less thanan infinity of variables and therefore of possible systems. The real
pendulum, for instance, has not only length and position; it has
also mass, temperature, electric conductivity, crystalline structure, chemical impurities, some radio-activity, velocity, reflecting
power, tensile strength, a surface film of moisture, bacterial con39

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE DETERMINATE MACHINE

tamination, an optical absorption, elasticity, shape, specific gravity, and so on and on. Any suggestion that we should study “all”
the facts is unrealistic, and actually the attempt is never made.
What is try is that we should pick out and study the facts that are
relevant to some main interest that is already given.
The truth is that in the world around us only certain sets of facts
are capable of yielding transformations that are closed and single.
The discovery of these sets is sometimes easy, sometimes difficult. The history of science, and even of any single investigation,
abounds in examples. Usually the discovery involves the othermethod for the defining of a system, that of listing the variables
that are to be taken into account. The system now means, not a
but a list of variables. This list can be varied, and the experimenter’s commonest task is that of varying the list (“taking othervariables into account”) until he finds a set of variables that herequired singleness. Thus we first considered the pendulum as if
it consisted solely of the variable “angular deviation from the vertical”; we found that the system so defined did not give singleness. If we were to go on we would next try other definitions, forinstance the vector:(angular deviation, mass of bob),in the variable “colour of the next throw”, which is a variable thathas only two values: Red and Black. A system that includes thelatter variable is almost certainly not predictable, whereas one that
includes the former (the probability) may well be predictable, forthe probability has a constant value, of about a half.)
The “absolute” system described and used in Design for a Brainis just such a set of variables.
It is now clear why it can be said that every determinate
dynamic system corresponds to a single-valued transformation (inspite of the fact that we dare not dogmatise about what the realworld contains, for it is full of surprises). We can make the statement simply because science refuses to study the other types, suchas the one-variable pendulum above, dismissing them as “chaotic” or “non-sensical”. It is we who decide, ultimately, what wewill accept as “machine-like” and what we will reject. (The subject is resumed in S.6/3.)

which would also be found to fail. Eventually we would try the(angular deviation, angular velocity)and then we would find that these states, defined in this way,
would give the desired singleness (cf. Ex. 3/6/14).
Some of these discoveries, of the missing variables, have beenof major scientific importance, as when Newton discovered theimportance of momentum, or when Gowland Hopkins discovered
the importance of vitamins (the behaviour of rats on diets was not
single-valued until they were identified). Sometimes the discovery
is scientifically trivial, as when single-valued results are obtained
only after an impurity has been removed from the water-supply, ora loose screw tightened; but the singleness is always essential.
(Sometimes what is wanted is that certain probabilities shall besingle-valued. This more subtle aim is referred to in S.7/4 and 9/
2. It is not incompatible with what has just been said: it merelymeans that it is the probability that is the important variable, notthe variable that is giving the probability. Thus, if I study a roulette-wheel scientifically I may be interested in the variable“probability of the next throw being Red”, which is a variable
that has numerical values in the range between 0 and 1, rather than
40

41

THE MACHINE WITH INPUT

Chapter

4

T H E MA CH IN E WITH I NPUT
4/1. In the previous chapter we studied the relation between transformation and machine, regarding the latter simply as a unit. We
now proceed to find, in the world of transformations, what corresponds to the fact that every ordinary machine can be acted on byvarious conditions, and thereby made to change its behaviour, asa crane can be controlled by a driver or a muscle controlled by anerve. For this study to be made, a proper understanding must be
had of what is meant by a “parameter”.
So far, each transformation has been considered by itself; wemust now extend our view so as to consider the relation between
one transformation and another. Experience has shown that just thesame methods (as S.2/3) applied again will suffice; for the change
from transformation A to transformation B is nothing but the transition A → B. (In S.2/3 it was implied that the elements of a transformation may be anything that can be clearly defined: there is
therefore no reason why the elements should not themselves betransformations.) Thus, if T1, T2, and T3 are three transformations,
there is no reason why we should not define the transformation U:
T T T
U: ↓ T1 T2 T3
2
2
1
All that is necessary for the avoidance of confusion is that thechanges induced by the transformation T1 should not be allowed
to become confused with those induced by U; by whatever
method is appropriate in the particular case the two sets ofchanges must be kept conceptually distinct.
An actual example of a transformation such as U occurs when
boy has a toy-machine T1 built of interchangeable parts, and thedismantles it to form a new toy-machine T2 . (In this case thechanges that occur when T1 goes from one of its states to the next
(i.e. when T1 “works”) are clearly distinguishable from the changethat occurs when T1 changes to T2.)
Changes from transformation to transformation may, in general
be wholly arbitrary. We shall, however, be more concerned with42

the special case in which the several transformations act on thesame set of operands. Thus, if the four common operands are a, b,
c, and d, there might be three transformations, R1, R2, and R3:
a b c da b c dR2: ↓ b a d c
R1: ↓ c d d b
These can be written more compactly as
↓

a

b

c

a b c dR3: ↓ d c d bd

c d d bb a d cd c d bwhich we shall use as the standard form. (In this chapter we shallcontinue to discuss only transformations that are closed and single-valued.)
A transformation corresponds to a machine with a characteristic way of behaving (S.3/1); so the set of three—R1, R2, and R3—
if embodied in the same physical body, would have to correspondto a machine with three ways of behaving. Can a machine havethree ways of behaving?
It can, for the conditions under which it works can be altered.
Many a machine has a switch or lever on it that can be set at any
one of three positions, and the setting determines which of three
ways of behaving will occur. Thus, if a, etc., specify the machine’s
states, and R1 corresponds to the switch being in position 1, and R2
corresponds to the switch being in position 2, then the change of
R’s subscript from 1 to 2 corresponds precisely with the change ofthe switch from position 1 to position 2; and it corresponds to themachine’s change from one way of behaving to another.
It will be seen that the word “change” if applied to such amachine can refer to two very different things. There is the change
from state to state, from a to b say, which is the machine’s behaviour, and which occurs under its own internal drive, and there isthe change from transformation to transformation, from R1 to R2
say, which is a change of its way of behaving, and which occurs
at the whim of the experimenter or some other outside factor. The
distinction is fundamental and must on no account be slighted.
R’s subscript, or any similar symbol whose value determines
which transformation shall be applied to the basic states will becalled a parameter. If numerical, it must be carefully distinguished from any numbers that may be used to specify the operands as vectors.
R1
R2
R3

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THE MACHINE WITH INPUT

A real machine whose behaviour can be represented by such a
set of closed single-valued transformations will be called a transducer or a machine with input (according to the convenience ofthe context). The set of transformations is its canonical representation. The parameter, as something that can vary, is its input.

quantities that appear on the right, but not on the left, must be
parameters. The examples below will clarify the facts.

Ex. 1: If S isa b↓b a ,

how many other closed and single-valued transformations can be formed on
the same two operands?
Ex. 2: Draw the three kinematic graphs of the transformations R1, R2, and R3
above. Does change of parameter-value change the graph?
Ex. 3: With R (above) at R1, the representative point is started at c and allowed
to move two steps (to R12(c)); then, with the representative point at this newstate, the transformation is changed to R2, and the point allowed to move twomore steps. Where is it now?
Ex. 4: Find a sequence of R’s that will take the representative point (i) from d toa, (ii) from c to a.
Ex. 5: What change in the transformation corresponds to a machine having oneof its variables fixed? What transformation would be obtained if the system
x' = –x + 2yy' = x – ywere to have its variable x fixed at the value 4?
Ex. 6: Form a table of transformations affected by a parameter, to show that aparameter, though present, may in fact have no actual effect.

Ex. 1: What are the three transformations obtained by giving parameter a the values –1, 0, or +1 in Ta :Ta :  g' = (1 – a)g + (a – 1)hh' = 2g + 2ah
Ex. 2: What are the two transformations given when the parameter a takes thevalue 0 or 1 in S?: h' = (1 – α)j + log (1 + α + sin αh)
S:  j' = (1 + sinαj) e(α –1)hEx. 3: The transducer n' = n + a2, in which a and n can take only positive integral
values, is started at n = 10. (i) At what value should a be kept if, in spite of
repeated transformations, n is to remain at 10? (ii) At what value should a be
kept if n is to advance in steps of 4 at a time (i.e. 10, 14 18, …)? (iii) Whatvalues of a, chosen anew at each step, will make n follow the series 10, 11,
15, 16, 20, 21, 25, 26, …, in which the differences are, alternately 1 and 4?
(iv) What values of a will make n advance by unit steps to 100 and then jump
directly to 200?
Ex. 4: If a transducer has n operands and also a parameter that can take n values,
the set shows a triunique correspondence between the values of operand,transform, and parameter if (1) for given parameter value the transformationis one-one, and (2) for given operand the correspondence between parameter-value and transform is one-one. Such a set is↓ a b c d

can obviously be written more compactly as
Ra : n' = n + a,

R1 c d a b
R2 b a c d
R3 d c b a
R4 a b d cShow that the transforms must form a Latin square, i.e. one in which eachrow (and each column) contains each transform once and once only.
Ex. 5: A certain system of one variable V behaves as
1
90
V' = ------  V + ------
10 Pand this shows us how to proceed. In this expression it must be
noticed that the relations of n and a to the transducer are quite different, and the distinction must on no account be lost sight of. n is
operand and is changed by the transformation; the fact that it is anoperand is shown by the occurrence of n'. a is parameter anddetermines which transformation shall be applied to n. a must
therefore be specified in value before n’s change can be found.
When the expressions in the canonical representation become
more complex, the distinction between variable and parametercan be made by remembering that the symbols representing theoperands will appear, in some form, on the left, as x' or dx/dt; forthe transformation must tell what they are to be changed to. So allwhere P is a parameter. Set P at some value P1, e.g. 10, and find the limitthat V tends to as the transformation is repeated indefinitely often, call thislimit V1. Then set P at another value P2, e.g. 3, and find the corresponding
limit V2. After several such pairs of values (of P and limit-V) have beenfound, examine them to see if any law holds between them. Does V behave
like the volume of a gas when subjected to a pressure P?
Ex. 6: What transformation, with a parameter a will give the three series of values to n?:
a = 1: 0, → 1, → 2, → 3, → 4, …
a = 2: 0, → 4, → 8, → 12, → 16, …
a = 3: 0, → 9, → 18, → 27, → 36, …
(Hint: try some plausible expressions such as n' – n + a, n' = a2n, etc.)
Ex. 7: If n' = n + 3a, does the value given to a determine how large is n’s jumpat each step?

44

45

4/2. We can now consider the algebraic way of representing atransducer.
The three transformations
R2: n' = n + 2
R3: n' = n + 3
R1: n' = n + 1

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE MACHINE WITH INPUT

4/3. When the expression for a transducer contains more than one
meter, the number of distinct transformations may be as large enumber of combinations of values possible to the parameters eachcombination may define a distinct transformation), but neverexceed it.
Ex. 1: Find all the transformations in the transducer Uab when a can take the values 0, 1, or 2, and b the values 0 or 1.
 s' = (1 – a)s + abt
Uab :  t' = (1 + b)t + (b –1)aThe parameters thus include the conditions in which the organism
lives. In the chapters that follow, the reader must therefore be prepared to interpret the word “input” to mean either the few parameters appropriate to a simple mechanism or the many parameters
appropriate to the free-living organism in a complex environment.
(The increase in the number of parameters does not necessarily
imply any diminution in the rigour of the argument, for all thequantities concerned can be measured with an accuracy that isbounded only by the experimenter’s resources of time and money.)

How many transformations does the set contain?
Ex. 2: (continued.) if the vector (a,b) could take only the values (0,1), (1n1), and(2,0), how many transformations would the transducer contain?
Ex. 3: The transducer Tab,with variables p and q: f p = ap + bqTab :  p' = ap + bq
q' = bp + aq

Ex. 1: An electrical machine that receives potentials on its two input- terminals
is altered by having the two terminals joined permanently by a wire. To what
alteration in Tab would this correspond if the machine were represented as in
Ex. 4/3/3.
Ex. 2: “When an organism interacts with its environment, its muscles are theenvironment’s input and Its sensory organs are the environment’s output.”
Do you agree ?

is started at (3,5). What values should be given to the parameters a and if(p,q) is to move, at one step, to (4,6)? (Hint: the expression for Tab can be
regarded as a simultaneous equation.)
Ex. 4: (Continued.) Next find a value for (a,b) that will make the system move,in one step, back from (4,6) to (3,5).
Ex. 5: The transducer n' = abn has parameters a and b, each of which can takeany of the values o, 1, and 2. How many distinct transformations are there?
(Such indistinguishable cases are said to be “degenerate”; the rule given at
the beginning of this section refers to the maximal number o transformations
that are possible; the maximal number need not always be achieved).

4/4. Input and output. The word “transducer” is used by the physicist, and especially by the electrical engineer, to describe any
determinate physical system that has certain defined places of
input, which the experimenter may enforce changes that affect its
behaviour, and certain defined places of output, at which heobserves changes of certain variables, either directly or throughsuitable instruments. It will now be clear that the mathematicalsystem described in S.4/1 is the natural representation of such amaterial system. It will also be clear that the machine’s “input”
corresponds he set of states provided by its parameters; for as theparameters input are altered so is the machine’s or transducer’s
behaviour affected.
With an electrical system, the input is usually obvious andrestricted to a few terminals. In biological systems, however, thenumber of parameters is commonly very large and the whole set ofthem is by no means obvious. It is, in fact, co-extensive with theset of “all variables whose change directly affects the organism”.

4/5. Transient. The electrical engineer and the biologist tend to test
their systems by rather different methods. The engineer often
investigates the nature of some unknown system by submitting it
to an incessant regular change at its input while observing its output. Thus, in Fourier analysis, he submits it to prolonged stimulation by a regular sinusoidal potential of a selected frequency, andhe observes certain characteristics in the output; then he repeats thetest with another frequency, and so on; eventually he deduces
something of the system’s properties from the relations between
the input-frequencies and the corresponding output-characteristics.
During this testing, the machine is being disturbed incessantly.
The biologist often uses a method that disturbs the system not at
all, after the initial establishment of the conditions. Thus he may cut
a piece of meat near an ants’ colony and then make no further
change whatever—keeping the conditions, the parameters, constant—while watching the whole evolution of the complex patternsof behaviour, individual and social, that develop subsequently.
Contrary to what is observed in living systems, the behaviour of
mechanical and electrical systems often settles to some uniformity
fairly quickly from the moment when incessant change at the input
stops. The response shown by the machine after some disturbance,
the input being subsequently held constant, is called a transient. It is
important to appreciate that, to the engineer, the complex sequenceof events at the ants’ nest is a transient. It may be defined in moregeneral terms as the sequence of states produced by a transducer inconstant conditions before the sequence starts repeating itself.

46

47

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE MACHINE WITH INPUT

To talk about the transient, as distinct from the repetitive partthat follows, it is convenient to be able to mark, unambiguously,
its end. If the transformation is discrete, the following method
gives its length rigorously: Let the sequence of states go on till
repetition becomes evident, thusA B C D C D C D C D C … or H E F G G G G G G G …

so that they become “coupled” as two automobiles may be locked
together after an accident. This form, however, is of little interest
to us, for the automobiles are too much changed by the process. U
flat we want is a way of coupling that does no violence to eachmachine’s inner working, so that after the coupling each machine
is ,till the same machine that it was before.
For this or this to be so, the coupling must be arranged so that, inprinciplen each machine affects the other only by affecting its conditions, i. e. by, affecting its input. Thus, if the machines are toretain their individual natures after being coupled to form a whole,
the coupling must be between the (given) inputs and outputs, otherparts being left alone no matter how readily accessible they may be.

Then, coming in from the right, make the mark “1” as soon as thesequence departs from the cycle, thus
A B1 C D C D C D C D C … or H E F1 G G G G G G G …
Next add the mark “2”, to the right of 1, to include one complete
cycle, thus
A B1 C D2 C D C D C D C … or H E F1 G2 G G G G G G G…
Then the transient is defined as the sequence of states from theinitial state to the mark 2: A B C D, or H E F G.
Rigorous form can now be given to the intuitive impression thatcomplex systems can produce, in constant conditions, more complex forms of behaviour than can the simple. By drawing an arbitrary kinematic graph on N states it is easy to satisfy oneself that
if a closed single-valued transformation with N operands isapplied repeatedly, then the length of transient cannot exceed N
states.
Ex. 1: What property must the graph have if the onset of a recurrence is to be
postponed as long as possible?
Ex. 2: What is the transient of the system of Ex. 3/6/6, started from the state(8,5)?

C O U P LI N G S Y S T E M S
4/6. A fundamental property of machines is that they can be coupled. Two or more whole machines can be coupled to form one
machine; and any one machine can be regarded as formed by the
coupling of its parts, which can themselves be thought of as small,sub-, machines. The coupling is of profound importance in science, for when the experimenter runs an experiment he is coupling himself temporarily to the system that he is studying. To
what does this process, the joining of machine to machine or ofpart to part, correspond in the symbolic form of transformations?
Of what does the operation of “coupling” consist?
Before proceeding to the answer we must notice that there ismore than one answer. One way is to force them roughly together,48

4/7. Now trace the operation in detail. Suppose a machine (transducer) P is to be joined to another, R. For simplicity assume that
P is going to affect R, without R affecting P, as when a microphone is joined to an amplifier, or a motor nerve grows down tosupply an embryonic muscle. We must couple P’s output to R’s
input. Evidently R’s behaviour, or more precisely the transformation that describes R’s changes of state, will depend on, andchange with, the state of P. It follows that R must have parameters, for input, and the values of these parameters must be at each
moment some function of the state of P. Suppose for definitenessthat the machine or transducer R has the three transformations
shown in S 4/1, i.e.
↓ a b c d
c d d bb a d cd c d band that P has the transformation, on the three states i, j, k:
R1
R2
R3

i j k
P: ↓ k i i
P and R are now to be joined by our specifying what value R’s
parameter, call it x, is to take when P has any one of its states.
Suppose we decide on the relation Z (a transformation, single-valued but not closed): state of P:i j k
Z:  value of α: ↓ 2 3 2(The relation between P and α has been made somewhat irregular
to emphasise that the details are quite arbitrary and are completely
49

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

under the control of whoever arranges the coupling.) Let us further suppose—this is essential to the orderliness of the coupling—that the two machines P and R work on a common time-scale, sothat their changes keep in step.
It will now be found that the two machines form a new machineof completely determined behaviour. Thus, suppose the whole isstarted with R at a and P at i. Because P at i., the R- transformation
will be R2 (by Z). This will turn a to b; P’s i will turn to k; so thestates a and i have changed determinately to b and k. The argument can now be repeated. With P at k, the R-transformation willagain (by Z) be R2 ; so b will turn (under R2 ) to a, and k will turn(under P) to i. This happens to bring the whole system back to theinitial state of (a,i), so the whole will evidently go on indefinitely
round this cycle.
The behaviour of the whole machine becomes more obvious if
we use the method of S.3/5 and recognise that the state of thewhole machine is simply a vector with two components (x,y),
where x is one of a, b, c, d and y is one of i, j, k. The wholemachine thus has twelve states, and it was shown above that thestate (a,i) undergoes the transitions(a,i) → (b,k) → (a,i) → etc.
Ex. 1: If Q is the transformation of the whole machine, of the twelve states (x,y),
complete Q.
Ex. 2: Draw Q’s kinematic graph. How many basins has it?
Ex. 3: Join P and R by using the transformation Y
Y:  state of P: ↓ i j kvalue of α: 1 2 3What happens when this machine is started from (a,i) ?
Ex. 4: If two machines are joined to form a whole, does the behaviour of thewhole depend on the manner of coupling? (Hint: use the previous Ex.)Ex. 5. If two machines of n1 and n2 states respectively are joined together, whatis the maximal length of transient that the whole can produce ?
Ex. 6: If machine M has a maximal length of transient of n states, what will be
the maximal length of transient if a machine is formed by joining three M’s
together ?
Ex. 7: Take many parts (A, B, C, . . .) each with transformation↓ 0 1 2
α 0 2 0β 1 1 1γ 2 2 250

THE MACHINE WITH INPUT

and join them into a single long chain
input → Α →→ C → etc.,
so that A affects B, B affects C, and so on, by Z:
0 1 2
Z: ↓ α β γ
If the input to A is kept at a, what happens to the states down the chain?
Ex. 8: (Continued. ) What happens if the input is now changed for one step to β
and then returned to α, where it is held?

4/8. Coupling with feedback. In the previous section, P was coupled to R so that P’s changes affected, or determined in some way,
what R’s changes would be, but P’s changes did not depend on
what state R was at. Two machines can, however, be coupled sothat each affects the other.
For this to be possible, each must have an input, i.e. parameters.
P had no parameters, so this double coupling cannot be madedirectly on the machines of the previous section. Suppose, then,that we are going to couple R (as before) to S, given below:
↓

a

b

c

d

↓

c
b
d

d
a
c

d
d
d

b
c
b

S1
S2
S3
S4

e

f

f f
e f
f f
f e
S could be coupled to affect R by Y(if R’s parameter is α):Y:  state of S:α: ↓ 3e 1f
 value ofand R to affect S by X (if S’s parameter is β):
X:  state of R: ↓ a b c d
3 1 1 2
 value of β:
To trace the changes that this new whole machine (call it T) will
undergo, suppose it starts at the vector state (a,e). By Y and X, thetransformations to be used at the first step are R3 and S3. They, acting on a and e respectively, will give d and f; so the new state of
the whole machine is (d,f). The next two transformations will be
R1 and S2, and the next state therefore (b,f); and so on.
R1
R2
R3

Ex. 1: Construct T’s kinematic graph.
Ex. 2: Couple S and R in some other way.
Ex. 3: Couple S and R so that S affects R but R does not affect S. (Hint: Consider
the effect in X of putting all the values of β the same.

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THE MACHINE WITH INPUT

4/9. Algebraic coupling. The process of the previous sections, bytreating the changes that each state and parameter undergo individually, shows the relations that are involved in “coupling” withperfect clarity and generality. Various modifications can be developed without any loss of this clarity.
Thus suppose the machines are specified, as is common, in
terms of vectors with numerical components; then the rule forcoupling remains unaltered: each machine must have one or moreparameters, and the coupling is done by specifying what function
these parameters are to be of the other machine’s variables. Thus
the machines M and N a' = a2 + pb
 c' = rsc + ud2
M:  b' = – qa
N:  d' = 2tue
 e' = uce
might be joined by the transformations U and V: rs == aa –+ bb
p = 2cU:
V:  t = – aq = de2 u = b2
U is a shorthand way of writing a whole set of transitions from avalue of (c,d,e) to a value of (p,q), e.g.
(0,0,0) (0,0,1) (1,3,5) (2,2,4)
U: ↓ (0,0) (0,0) (2,75) (4,32)
Similarly for V, a transformation from (a,b) to (r,s,t,u), which
includes, e.g. (5,7) → (12, –2, –5, 49) (and compare P of S.6/9).
The result of the coupling is the five-variable system with representation:a' = a2 + 2bc
b' = – ade2
c' = (a2 – b2)c + b2d2
d' – 2ab2ee' = b2ce(Illustrations of the same process with differential equations havebeen given in Design for a Brain, S.21/6.)

4/10. Ex. 4/7/4 has already shown that parts can, in general, be
coupled in different ways to form a whole. The defining of thecomponent parts does not determine the way of coupling.
From this follows an important corollary. That a whole machine
should be built of parts of given behaviour is not sufficient todetermine its behaviour as a whole: only when the details of coupling are added does the whole’s behaviour become determinate.

Ex. 1.: Which are the parameters in M? Which in N?
Ex. 2.: Join M and N by W and X, and find what state (1, 0, 0, 1, 0), a value of (a,b, c, d, e), will change to:r = a
W:  p = dX: st == aba q = cu = a52

F E E DBACK
4/11. In S.4/7, P and R were joined so that P affected R while R
had no effect on P. P is said to dominate R, and (to anticipate S.4/
12) we may represent the relation between the parts by
P→ R(The arrow cannot be confused with that used to represent a transition (S.2/2), for the latter always relates two states, whereas thearrow above relates two parts. In the diagrams to come, parts will
always be shown boxed.)
Cybernetics is, however, specially interested in the case of S.4/8
where each affects the other, a relation that may be represented byP←→ R
When this circularity of action exists between the parts of a
dynamic system, feedback may be said to be present.
The definition of feedback just given is that most in accord withthe spirit of this book, which is concerned essentially with principles.
Other definitions, however, are possible, and there has beensome dispute as to the best; so a few words in explanation may be
useful. There are two main points of view that have to be considered.
On the one side stand those who are following the path taken by
this book—those whose aim is to get an understanding of the principles behind the multitudinous special mechanisms that exhibit
them To such workers, “feedback” exists between two parts wheneach affects the other, as for instance, in
x' = 2xyy' = x – y2
for y’s value affects how x will change and so does x’s value affecty. By contrast, feedback would not be said to be present in
x' = 2xy' = x – y253

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

for x’s change does not now depend on y’s value; x dominates y,and the action is one way only.
On the other side stand the practical experimenters and constructors, who want to use the word to refer, when some forward
effect from P to R can be taken for granted, to the deliberate conduction of some effect back from R to P by some connexion thati; physically or materially evident. They object to the mathematician’s definition, pointing out that this would force them to saythat feed back was present in the ordinary pendulum (see Ex. 3/6/
14) between its position and its momentum—a “feedback” that,from the practical point of view, is somewhat mystical. To this themathematician retorts that if feedback is to be considered present
only when there is an actual wire or nerve to represent it, then thetheory becomes chaotic and riddled with irrelevancies.
In fact, there need be no dispute, for the exact definition of“feedback” is nowhere important. The fact is that the concept of“feedback”, so simple and natural in certain elementary cases,
becomes artificial and of little use when the interconnexions
between the parts become more complex. When there are only
two parts joined so that each affects the other, the properties of the
feedback give important and useful information about the properties of the whole. But when the parts rise to even as few as four,
if every one affects the other three, then twenty circuits can betraced through them; and knowing the properties of all the twenty
circuits does not give complete information about the system.
Such complex systems cannot be treated as an interlaced set of
more or less independent feedback circuits, but only as a whole.
For understanding the general principles of dynamic systems,
therefore, the concept of feedback is inadequate in itself. What is
important is that complex systems, richly cross-connected internally, have complex behaviours, and that these behaviours can begoal-seeking in complex patterns.
Ex. 1: Trace twenty circuits in the diagram of Fig. 4/11/1:

THE MACHINE WITH INPUT

Ex. 2: A machine with input a, has the transformation
 x' = y – αz
T:  y' = 2z z' = x + α
What machine (as transformation) results if its input α is coupled to its output z, by α =–z?
Ex. 3: (Continued.) will this second machine behave differently from the firstone when the first has α held permanently at–1 ?
Ex. 4: A machine has, among its inputs, a photoelectric cell; among its outputs alamp of variable brightness. In Condition I there is no connexion from lamp
to cell, either electrical or optical. In Condition 2 a mirror is placed so thatvariations in the lamp’s brightness cause variations in the cell’s potential (i.e.
so that the machine can “see itself”). Would you expect the behaviours in
Conditions 1 and 2 to differ? (Hint: compare with Ex. 3.)

INDE P E NDE NCE WI T HI N A WHOL E
4/12. In the last few sections the concept of one machine or partor variable “having an effect on” another machine or part or variable has been used repeatedly. It must now be made precise, for it
is of profound importance. What does it mean in terms of actual
operations on a given machine? The process is as follows.
Suppose we are testing whether part or variable i has an immediate effect on part or variable j. Roughly, we let the system show
its behaviour, and we notice whether the behaviour of part j ischanged when part i’s value is changed. If part j’s behaviour isjust the same, whatever i’s value, then we say, in general, that i
has no effect on j.
To be more precise, we pick on some one state S (of the wholesystem) first. With i at some value we notice the transition that
occurs in part j (ignoring those of other variables). We compare
this transition with those that occur when states S1, S2, etc.—otherthan S—are used, in which S1, S2, etc. differ from S only in thevalue of the i-th component. If S1, S2, etc., give the same transitionin part j as S, then we say that i has no immediate effect on j, andvice versa. (“Immediate” effect because we are considering j’svalues over only one step of time.)
Next consider what the concept means in a transformation. Suppose its elements are vectors with four components (u,x,y,z), andthat the third line of the canonical equations reads
y' = 2uy – z.

Fig. 4/11/1

This tells us that if y is at some value now, the particular value itwill be at the next step will depend on what values u and z have,

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THE MACHINE WITH INPUT

but will not depend on what value x has. The variables u and z are
said to have an immediate effect on y.
It should be noticed, if the rigour is to be maintained, that thepresence or absence of an immediate effect, of u on y say, can bestated primarily only for two given states, which must have thesame values in their x, y, and z-components and must differ intheir u-components. For an immediate effect at one pair of states
does not, in general, restrict the possibilities at another pair ofstates. Thus, the transformation mentioned above gives the transitions:(0,0,0,0) → ( , ,0, )(1,0,0,0) → ( , ,0, )(0,0,1,0) → ( , ,0, )(1,0,1,0) → ( , ,2, )(where irrelevant values have been omitted). The first two showthat in one region of space u does not have an immediate effect ony, and the second two show that in another region it does. Strictly,
therefore, the question “what is the immediate effect of u on y?”
can be answered only for a given pair of states. Often, in simple
systems, the same answer is given over the whole phase space; if
this should happen we can then describe the immediate effect ofu on y unconditionally. Thus in the example above, u has an
immediate effect on y at all points but a particular few.
This test, for u’s immediate effect on y, simply does in symbols
what the experimenter does when he wishes to test whether one
variable has an immediate effect on another: he fixes all variables
except this pair, and compares how one behaves when the otherhas a value u1 with how it behaves when the other has the value u2.
The same method is, in fact, used generally in everyday life.
Thus, if we go into a strange room and wish to turn on the light,
and find switches, our problem is to find which switches are andwhich are not having an effect on the light’s behaviour. Wechange one of the switches and observe whether this is followed
by a change in the light’s behaviour. In this way we discover onwhich switch the light is dependent.
The test thus accords with common sense and has the advantage
of being applicable and interpretable even when we know nothingof the real physical or other factors at work. It should be noticed
that the test requires no knowledge of extraneous factors: theresult is deduced directly from the system’s observed behaviour,and depends only on what the system does, not on why it does it.
It was noticed above that a transducer may show any degree ofarbitrariness in the distribution of the immediate effects over thephase space. Often, however, the distribution shows continuity, sothat over some appreciable region, the variable u, say, has an
immediate effect on y while over the same region x has none.
When this occurs, a diagram can often usefully be drawn showing
these relations as they hold over the region (which may sometimes be the whole phase-space). An arrow is drawn from u to y
if and only if u has an immediate effect on y. Such a diagram will
be called the diagram of immediate effects.
Such diagrams are already of common occurrence. They areoften used in physiology to show how a related set of variables(such as blood pressure, pulse rate, secretion of adrenaline, andactivity at the carotid sinus) act on one another. In the design ofcomputing machines and servomechanisms they are known as“control-flow charts”. They are also used in some large businesses to show the relations of control and information existing
between the various departments.
The arrow used in such a diagram is, of course, profoundly different in meaning from the arrow used to show change in a transition (S.2/2). In the latter case it means simply that one statechanges to another; but the arrow in the diagram of immediate
effects has a much more complex meaning. In this case, an arrowfrom A to B says that if, over a series of tests, A has a variety ofdifferent values—B and all other conditions starting with the samevalue throughout—then the values that B changes to over theseries will also be found to show variety. We shall see later (S.8/
11) that this is simply to say that a channel of communication goesfrom A to B.
When a transducer is given, either in algebraic or real material
form, we can examine the immediate effects within the systemand thus deduce something of its internal organisation and structure. In this study we must distinguish carefully between “immediate” and “ultimate” effects. In the test given above, the effect ofx on y was considered over a single step only, and this restriction
is necessary in the basic theory. x was found to have no immediate
effect on y; it may however happen that x has an immediate effecton u and that u has an immediate effect on y, then x does havesome effect on y, shown after a delay of one extra step. Such aneffect, and those that work through even longer chains of variables and with longer delay, will be referred to as ultimate
effects. A diagram of ultimate effects can be constructed bydrawing an arrow from A to B if and only if A has an ultimate
effect on B. The two diagrams are simply related, for the diagram

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THE MACHINE WITH INPUT

of immediate effects, if altered by the addition of another arrow
wherever there are two joined head to tail, turning

What of y’s transitions? We can re-classify them, with x as
parameter, by representing, e.g. “00 → 01” as “when x = 0, y goesfrom 0 to 1”. This gives the table
y
0 1 2
↓

u
x

u
y

x

→

y

and continuing this process until no further additions are possible,
gives the diagram of ultimate effects.
If a variable or part has no ultimate effect on another, then thesecond is said to be independent of the first.
Both the diagrams, as later examples will show, have features
corresponding to important and well-known features of the system they represent.
Ex. 1: Draw the diagrams of immediate effects of the following absolute systems; and notice the peculiarity of each:(i) x' = xy, y' = 2y.
(ii) x' = y, y' = z + 3, z' = x2.
(iii) u' = 2 + ux, v' = v – y, x' = u + x, y' = y + v2.
(iv) u' = 4u – 1, x' = ux, y' = xy + 1, z' = yz.
(v) u' = u + y, x' = 1 – y, y' = log y, z' = z + yz.
(vi) u' = sin 2u, x' = x2, y' = y + 1, z' = xy + u.
Ex. 2: If y' = 2uy – z, under what conditions does u have no immediate effect ony?
Ex. 3: Find examples of real machines whose parts are related as in the diagramsof immediate effects of Ex. 1.
Ex. 4: (Continued.) Similarly find examples in social and economic systems.
Ex. 5: Draw up a table to show all possible ways in which the kinematic graphand the diagram of immediate effects are different.

4/13. In the discussion of the previous section, the system wasgiven by algebraic representation; when described in this form,
the deduction of the diagram of immediate effects is easy. Itshould be noticed, however, that the diagram can also be deduced
directly from the transformation, even when this is given simply
as a set of transitions.
Suppose, for instance that a system has two variables, x and y,each of which can take the values 0, 1 or 2, and that its (x,y)-states
behave as follows (parentheses being omitted for brevity):↓

00 01 02 10 11 12 20 21 22
01 00 11 11 00 21 11 20 11
58

0
1 0 1
x
1
1 0 1
2
1 0 1
It shows at once that y’s transitions do not depend on the valueof x. So x has no immediate effect on y.
Now classify x’s transitions similarly. We get:
y
0 1 2
↓
1 1 1
0 0 2
1 2 1
What x will do (i.e. x’s transition) does depend on y’s value, so y
has an immediate effect on x.
Thus, the diagram of immediate effects can be deduced from astatement of the primary transitions. It is, in fact,y → x
and y has been proved to dominate x.
x

0
1
2

Ex.: A system has three variables—x, y, z—each of which can take only the values 0 or 1. If the transformation is
000 001 010 011 100 101 110 111↓ 110 111 100 101 110 011 100 001
what is the diagram of immediate effects ? (Hint: First find how z’s transitions depend on the values of the others.)

4/14. Reducibility. In S.4/11 we noticed that a whole system may
consist of two parts each of which has an immediate effect on theother:P←→ Q
We also saw that the action may be only one way, in which caseone part dominates the other:
P→ Q
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In this case the whole is less richly connected internally, for oneof the actions, or channels, is now missing.
The lessening can continue. We may find that the diagram of
immediate effects is simplyPQ
so that the whole consists really of two parts that are functionallyindependent. In this case the whole is said to be reducible. The
importance of this concept will be referred to later (S.13/21).
Ex.: Of the systems in Ex. 4/12/1, which are reducible?

4/15. Materiality. The reader may now like to test the methods ofthis chapter as an aid to solving the problem set by the following
letter. It justifies the statement made in S.1/2 that cybernetics is notbound to the properties found in terrestrial matter, nor does it draw
its laws from them. What is important in cybernetics is the extent
to which the observed behaviour is regular and reproducible.
“Graveside”
Wit’s End
Haunts.

THE MACHINE WITH INPUTAt this minute of writing, the Laughter and Singing are
troth sounding. Please tell me what manipulations of
incense and organ I should make to get the house quiet, andto keep it so.
(Hint: Compare Ex. 4/1/4.)
Ex. 2: (Continued.) Does the Singing have an immediate effect on the Laughter ?
Ex. 3: (Continued.) Does the incense have an immediate effect on the Singing ?
Ex. 4: (Continued.) Deduce the diagram of immediate effects of this machinewith input (with two parameters and two variables).

T HE VE RY L ARGE S YS T E M
4/16. Up till now, the systems considered have all seemed fairly
simple, and it has been assumed that at all times we have understood them in all detail. Cybernetics, however, looks forward tobeing able to handle systems of vastly greater complexity—computing machines, nervous systems, societies. Let us, then, consider how the methods developed so far are to be used or modified
when the system is very large.

Dear Friend,
Some time ago I bought this old house, but found it to be
haunted by two ghostly noises—a ribald Singing and a sardonic Laughter. As a result it is hardly habitable. There ishope, however, for by actual testing I have found that their
behaviour is subject to certain laws, obscure but infallible,
and that they can be affected by my playing the organ orburning incense.
In each minute, each noise is either sounding or silent—
they show no degrees. What each will do during the ensuing minute depends, in the following exact way, on what
has been happening during the preceding minute:
The Singing, in the succeeding minute, will go on as it was
during the preceding minute (sounding or silent) unless there
was organ-playing with no Laughter, in which case it willchange to the opposite (sounding to silent, or vice versa).
As for the Laughter, if there was incense burning, then it
will sound or not according as the Singing was sounding or
not (so that the Laughter copies the Singing a minute later).
If however there was no incense burning, the Laughter will
do the opposite of what the Singing did.

4/17. What is meant by its “size” needs clarification, for we are
not here concerned with mere mass. The sun and the earth form
only a “small” system to us, for astronomically they have only
twelve degrees of freedom. Rather, we refer to the system’s complexity. But what does that mean here ? If our dynamic systemwere a native family of five persons, would we regard it as madeof 5 parts, and therefore simple, or as of 1025 atoms, and therefore
very complex ?
In the concepts of cybernetics, a system’s “largeness” mustrefer to the number of distinctions made: either to the number ofstates available or, if its states are defined by a vector, to the number of components in the vector (i.e. to the number of its variables
or of its degrees of freedom, S.7/13). The two measures are correlated, for if other things are equal, the addition of extra variables
will make possible extra states. A system may also be made larger
from our functional point of view if, the number of variables
being fixed, each is measured more precisely, so as to make itshow more distinguishable states. We shall not, however, bemuch interested in any exact measure of largeness on some particular definition; rather we shall refer to a relation between thesystem and some definite, given, observer who is going to try to
study or control it. In this book I use the words “very large” to60

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THE MACHINE WITH INPUT

imply that some definite observer en, with definite resources andtechniques, and that the system some practical way, too large forhim; so that he cannot observe completely, or control it completely, or carry out the calculations for prediction completely. In
other words, he says the system “very large” if in some way itbeats him by its richness and complexity.
Such systems are common enough. A classic case occurred
when the theoretical physicist of the nineteenth century tried touse Newtonian mechanics to calculate how a gas would behave.
The number of particles in an ordinary volume of gas is so vastthat no practical observation could record the system’s state, andno practical relation could predict its future. Such a system was“very ” in relation to the nineteenth century physicist.
The stock-breeder faces a “very large” system in the genes he is
g to mould to a new pattern. Their number and the complexitiesof their interactions makes a detailed control of them by impossible in practice.
Such systems, in relation to our present resources for observation control, are very common in the biological world, and in its
social and economic relatives. They are certainly common in thebrain, though for many years the essential complexity was given
only grudging recognition. It is now coming to be recognised,however, that this complexity is something that can be ignored nolonger. “Even the simplest bit of behavior”, says Lashley,“requires the integrated action of millions of neurons.... I havecome to believe almost every nerve cell in the cerebral cortex may
be excited in every activity.... The same neurons which maintainthe memory traces and participate in the revival of a memory arealso involved, in different combinations, in thousands of othermemories acts.” And von Neumann: “The number of neurons in
the central nervous system is somewhere of the order of 1010. We
have absolutely no past experience with systems of this degree ofcomplexity. All artificial automata made by man have numbers ofparts which by any comparably schematic count are of the order
103 to 106.” (Cerebral Mechanisms in Behavior.)

than the more usual variables, that it requires no explicit mention of
the system’s number of parts; and theorems once proved true aretrue for systems of all sizes (provided, of course, that the systems
conform to the suppositions made in the argument).
What remains valid is, of course, the truth of the mathematicaldeductions about the mathematically defined things. What may
change, as the system becomes very large, is the applicability ofthese theorems to some real material system. The applicability,
however, can be discussed only in relation to particular cases. For
the moment, therefore, we can notice that size by itself does notinvalidate the reasonings that have been used so far.

4/18. It should be noticed that largeness per se in no way invalidates
the principles, arguments, and theorems of the previous chapters.
Though the examples have been confined to systems with only astates or a few variables, this restriction was solely for the author’s
and reader’s convenience: the arguments remain valid without any
restriction on the number of states or variables in the system. It is apeculiar advantage of the method of arguing about states, rather

4/19. Random coupling. Suppose now that the observer faces asystem that, for him, is very large. How is he to proceed ? Many
questions arise, too many to be treated here in detail, so I shallselect only a few topics, letting them serve as pattern for the rest.
(See S.6/19 and Chapter 13.) First, how is the system to be specified ?
By definition, the observer can specify it only incompletely.
This is synonymous with saying that he must specify it “statistically”, for statistics is the art of saying things that refer only tosome aspect or portion of the whole, the whole truth being too
bulky for direct use. If it has too many parts for their specificationindividually they must be specified by a manageable number ofrules, each of which applies to many parts. The parts specified by
one rule need not be identical; generality can be retained byassuming that each rule specifies a set statistically. This meansthat the rule specifies a distribution of parts and a way in which it
shall be sampled. The particular details of the individual outcome
are thus determined not by the observer but by the process of sampling (as two people might leave a decision to the spin of a coin).
The same method must be used for specification of the coupling. If the specification for coupling is not complete it must insome way be supplemented, for ultimately some individual andsingle coupling must actually occur between the parts. Thus thecoupling must contain a “random” element. What does this mean?
To make the discussion definite, suppose an experimenter has
before him a large number of identical boxes, electrical in nature,each with three input and three output terminals. He wishes to form
an extensive network, coupled “at random”, to see what its properties will be. He takes up some connecting wires and then realisesthat to say “couple them at random” is quite insufficient as a definition of the way of coupling; all sorts of “couplings at random”

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THE MACHINE WITH INPUT

are possible. Thus he might, if there are n boxes, label 6n cards
with numbers from 1 to 6n, label the terminals similarly, shuffle
the cards and then draw two cards to nominate the two terminals
that shall be joined with the first wire. A second pair of cards willname the terminals joined by the second wire; and so on. A decision would have to be made whether the first two drawn cards were
to be replaced or not before the next shuffling and drawing. The
decision is important, for replacement allows some terminals tohave no wire and others to have several, while non-replacement
forces every terminal to have one wire and one only. This distinction would probably be significant in the characteristics of the network and would therefore require specification. Again, the method
just mentioned has the property of allowing output to be joined to
output. If this were undesirable a new method would have to be
defined; such might be: “Label the inputs 1 to 3n and also outputs
1 to 3n; label 3n cards with numbers 1 to 3n; join a wire to input 1
and draw a card to find which output to connect it to; go on similarly through inputs 2, . . ., 3n”. Here again replacement of the cardmeans that one output may go to several inputs, or to none; nonreplacement would give one output to each input.
Enough has probably been said to show how essential an accurate definition of the mode of sampling can be. Sometimes, as
when the experimenter takes a sample of oxygen to study the gas
laws in it, he need not specify how he obtained the sample, foralmost all samples will have similar properties (though even here
the possibility of exact definition may be important, as Rayleighand Ramsay found when some specimens of nitrogen gave persistently different atomic weights from others).
This “statistical” method of specifying a system—by specification of distributions with sampling methods—should not bethought of as essentially different from other methods. It includes
the case of the system that is exactly specified, for the exact specification is simply one in which each distribution has shrunk tillits scatter is zero, and in which, therefore, “sampling” leads to one
inevitable result. What is new about the statistical system is thatthe specification allows a number of machines, not identical, to
qualify for inclusion. The statistical “machine” should therefore
be thought of as a set of machines rather than as one machine. For
this chapter, however, this aspect will be ignored (it is taken up
fully in Chapter 7).
It will now be seen, therefore, that it is, in a sense, possible foran observer to specify a system that is too large for him to specify!
The method is simple in principle: he must specify broadly, andmust specify a general method by which the details shall be specified by some source other than himself. In the examples above, it
was a pack of cards that made the final decision. A final, uniquesystem can thus be arrived at provided his specification is supplemented. (The subject is developed more thoroughly in S.13/18.)

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65

Ex. 1: Define a method (using dice, cards, random numbers, etc.) that will bringthe closed single-valued transformation T:
S S S S S S
T: ↓ ?1 ?2 ?3 ?4 ?5 ?6
to some particular form, so that the final particular form is selected by themethod and not by the reader.
Ex. 2: (Continued.) Define a method so that the transformation shall be one-one,
but not otherwise restricted.
Ex. 3: (Continued.) Define a method so that no even-numbered state shall transform to an odd-numbered state.
Ex. 4: (Continued.) Define a method so that any state shall transform only to astate adjacent to it in number.
Ex. 5: Define a method to imitate the network that would be obtained if parts
were coupled by the following rule: In two dimensions, with the parts placed
m a regular pattern thus:
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 0
extending indefinitely in all directions in the plane, each part either has an
immediate effect on its neighbour directly above it or does not, with equal
probability; and similarly for its three neighbours to right and left and below.
Construct a sample network.

4/20. Richness of connexion. The simplest system of given largeness is one whose parts are all identical, mere replicates of one
another, and between whose parts the couplings are of zero degree(e.g. Ex. 4/1/6). Such parts are in fact independent of each otherwhich makes the whole a “system” only in a nominal sense, for it
is totally reducible. Nevertheless this type of system must be considered seriously, for it provides an important basic form fromwhich modifications can be made in various ways. Approximate
examples of this type of system are the gas whose atoms collide
only rarely, the neurons in the deeply narcotised cortex (if they
can be assumed to be approximately similar to one another) and a
species of animals when the density of population is so low thatthey hardly ever meet or compete. In most cases the properties ofthis basic type of system are fairly easily deducible.
The first modification to be considered is obviously that bywhich a small amount of coupling is allowed between the parts,

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THE MACHINE WITH INPUT

66

Figure 4/20/1

so that some coherence is introduced into the whole. Suppose thenthat into the system’s diagram of immediate effects some actions,i.e. some arrows, are added, but only enough to give coherency tothe set of parts. The least possible number of arrows, if there aren parts, is n–1; but this gives only a simple long chain. A small
amount of coupling would occur if the number of arrows wererather more than this but not so many as n2–n (which would giveevery part an immediate effect on every other part).
Smallness of the amount of interaction may thus be due tosmallness in the number of immediate effects. Another way,
important because of its commonness, occurs when one part orvariable affects another only under certain conditions, so that theimmediate effect is present for much of the time only in a nominal
sense. Such temporary and conditional couplings occur if the variable, for any reason, spends an appreciable proportion of its time
not varying (the “part-function”). One common cause of this is theexistence of a threshold, so that the variable shows no change
except when the disturbance coming to it exceeds some definite
value. Such are the voltage below which an arc will not jumpacross a given gap, and the damage that a citizen will sustain
before he thinks it worth while going to law. In the nervous system the phenomenon of threshold is, of course, ubiquitous.
The existence of threshold induces a state of affairs that can be
regarded as a cutting of the whole into temporarily isolated subsystems; for a variable, so long as it stays constant, cannot, by S.4/
12, have an effect on another; neither can it be affected by another.
In the diagram of immediate effects it will lose both the arrows
that go from it and those that come to it. The action is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 4/20/1.
The left square shows a basic network, a diagram of immediate
effects, as it might have been produced by the method of Ex. 4/19/
5. The middle square shows what remains if thirty per cent of thevariables remain constant (by the disturbances that are coming tothem being below threshold). The right square shows what
remains if the proportion constant rises to fifty per cent. Suchchanges, from left to right, might be induced by a rising threshold.
It will be seen that the reacting sub-systems tend to grow smallerand smaller, the rising threshold having the effect, functionally, of
cutting the whole network into smaller and smaller parts.
Thus there exist factors, such as “height of threshold” or “proportion of variables constant”, which can vary a large system continuously along the whole range that has at one end the totallyjoined form, in which every variable has an immediate effect on
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THE MACHINE WITH INPUT

every other variable, and at the other end the totally-unjoined
form, in which every variable is independent of every other. Systems can thus show more or less of “wholeness”. Thus the degree
may be specifiable statistically even though the system is far toolarge for the details to be specified individually.

cies are more or less alike. In this system various properties, if
they exist in one place, can also exist in other places. It follows
that the basic properties of the biological world will be of thetypes to be described in the following sections.

Ex.: Can a disturbance a: A (Fig. 4/20/1) affect B in the left-hand system? In theother two?

4/22. Self-locking properties. It is a general property of these systems that their behaviour in time is much affected by whether
there can, or cannot, develop properties within them such that theproperty, once developed, becomes inaccessible to the factors thatwould “undevelop” it. Consider, for instance, a colony of oysters.
Each oyster can freely receive signals of danger and can shutclose; once shut, however, it cannot receive the signals of safetythat would re-open it. Were these the only factors at work we
could predict that in time the colony of oysters would pass entirely
into the shut condition—an important fact in the colony’s history!
In many other systems the same principle can be traced more
seriously, and in almost all it is important. Consider, for instancea solution of reacting molecules that can form various compounds
some of which can react again but one of which is insoluble, sothat molecules in that form are unreactive. The property of “being
the insoluble compound” is now one which can be taken by partafter part but which, after the insolubility has taken the substanceout of solution, cannot be reversed. The existence of this property
is decisive in the history of the system, a fact well known in chemistry where it has innumerable applications.
Too little is known about the dynamics of the cerebral cortex for
us to be able to say much about what happens there. We can however see that if the nerve cells belong to only a few types, and if
the immediate effects between them are sparse, then if any such
“self-locking” property can exist among them it is almost certain
to be important—to play a major part in determining the cortex’s
behaviour, especially when this continues over a long time. Suchwould occur, for instance, if the cells had some chance of getting
into closed circuits that reverberated too strongly for suppression
by inhibition. Other possibilities doubtless deserve consideration.
Here we can only glance at them.
The same principle would also apply in an economic system ifworkers in some unpleasant industry became unemployed fromtime to time, and during their absence discovered that more pleasant forms of employment were available. The fact that they would
pass readily from the unpleasant to the pleasant industry, butwould refuse to go back, would clearly be a matter of high importance in the future of the industry.

4/21. Local properties. Large systems with much repetition in theparts, few immediate effects, and slight couplings, can commonly
show some property .n a localised form, so that it occurs in only
a few variables, and so :hat its occurrence (or not) in the few variables does not determine whether or not the same property canoccur in other sets of a few variables. Such localisable properties
are usually of great importance in such systems, and the remainder of this chapter will be given to their consideration. Here aresome examples.
In simple chemistry the reaction of silver nitrate in solution
with sodium chloride for instance—the component parts number
about 1022, thus constituting a very large system. The parts(atoms, ions, etc.) are largely repetitive, for they consist of only
a dozen or so types. In addition, each part has an immediate effecton only a minute fraction of the totality of parts. So the coupling(or not) of one silver ion to a chloride ion has no effect on thegreat majority of other pairs of ion; As a result, the property“coupled to form AgCl” can exist over and over again in recognisable form throughout the system. Contrast this possibility ofrepetition with what happens in a well coupled system, in a thermostat for instance. In the thermostat, such a localised property
can hardly exist, and can certainly not be repeated independently
elsewhere in the system; for the existence of any property at one
point is decisive in determining what shall happen at the otherpoints.
The change from the chemistry of the solution in a test tube tothat of protoplasm is probably of the same type, the protoplasm,
as a chemically dynamic system, being too richly interconnected
in its parts to allow much local independence in the occurrence ofsome property.
Another example is given by the biological world itself,
regarded as a system of men’ parts This system, composed ultimately of the atoms of the earth’s surface, is made of parts that arelargely repetitive, both at a low level in that all carbon atoms are
chemically alike, and at a high level in that all members of a spe68

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THE MACHINE WITH INPUT

In general, therefore, changes that are self-locking are usually ofhigh importance in determining the eventual state of the system.

is shown, for instance, in a piece of pitchblende, by the number ofatoms that are of radium. It is also shown by the number in a species when the species is tending to extinction.
(2) k = 1. In this case the number tends to stay constant. An
example is given by the number of molecules dissociated when
the percentage dissociated is at the equilibrial value for the conditions obtaining. (Since the slightest deviation of k from 1 will takethe system into one of the other two cases it is of little interest.)(3) k > 1. This case is of great interest and profound importance.
The property is one whose presence increases the chance of its
further occurrence elsewhere. The property “breeds”, and the system is, in this respect, potentially explosive, either dramatically,
as in an atom bomb, or insidiously, as in a growing epidemic. A
well known example is autocatalysis. Thus if ethyl acetate has
been mixed with water, the chance that a particular molecule ofethyl acetate will turn, in the next interval, to water and acetic aciddepends on how many acetate molecules already have the property of being in the acid form. Other examples are commonly
given by combustion, by the spread of a fashion, the growth of anavalanche, and the breeding of rabbits.
It is at this point that the majestic development of life by Darwinian evolution shows its relation to the theory developed hereof dynamic systems. The biological world, as noticed in S.4/21, isa system with something like the homogeneity and the fewness of
immediate effects considered in this chapter. In the early days of
the world there were various properties with various k’s. Some
had k less than 1—they disappeared steadily. Some had k equal to1—they would have remained. And there were some with kgreater than I—they developed like an avalanche, came into conflict with one another, commenced the interaction we call “competition”, and generated a process that dominated all other eventsin the world and that still goes on.
Whether such properties, with k greater than I, exist or can exist
in the cerebral cortex is unknown. We can be sure, however, that~f such do exist they will be of importance, imposing outstanding
characteristics on the cortex’s behaviour. It is important to noticethat this prediction can be made without any reference to the particular details of what happens in the mammalian brain, for it istrue of all systems of the type described.

4/23. Properties that breed. It should be noticed that in the previous section we considered, in each example, two different systems. For though each example was based on only one material
entity, it was used to provide two sets of variables, and these sets
form, by S. 3/11, two systems. The first was the obvious set, verylarge in number, provided by the parts; the second was the systemwith one variable: “number of parts showing the property”. The
examples showed cases in which this variable could not diminish
with time. In other words it behaved according to the transformation (if the number is n):n' ≥ n.
This transformation is one of the many that may be found when
the changes of the second system (number of parts showing theproperty) is considered. It often happens that the existence of theproperty at some place in the system affects the probability that it
will exist, one time-interval later, at another place. Thus, if thebasic system consists of a trail of gunpowder along a line 12
inches long, the existence of the property “being on fire” now at
the fourth inch makes it highly probable that, at an interval later,
the same property will hold at the third and fifth inches. Again, if
a car has an attractive appearance, its being sold to one house islikely to increase its chance of being sold to adjacent houses. And
if a species is short of food, the existence of one member
decreases the chance of the continued, later existence of anothermember.
Sometimes these effects are of great complexity; sometimes
however the change of the variable “number having the property”
can be expressed sufficiently well by the simple transformationn' = kn, where k is positive and independent of n.
When this is so, the history of the system is often acutely dependent on the value of k, particularly in its relation to + 1. The equation has as solution, if t measures the number of time- intervals
that have elapsed since t = 0, and if n0 was the initial value:n = n0 e (k - 1)tThree cases are distinguishable.
(1) k < 1. In this case the number showing the property falls
steadily, and the density of parts having the property decreases. It

4/24. The remarks made in the last few sections can only illustrate, in the briefest way, the main properties of the very large system. Enough has been said, however, to show that the very large

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system is not wholly different from the systems considered in theearlier chapters, and to show that the construction of a really adequate theory of systems in general is more a question of time andlabour than of any profound or peculiar difficulty.
The subject of the very large system is taken up again in S.6/14.

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5Chapter

ST AB IL IT Y
5/1. The word “stability” is apt to occur frequently in discussionsof machines, but is not always used with precision. Bellman refers
to it as “. . . stability, that much overburdened word with an unstabilised definition”. Since the ideas behind the word are of greatpractical importance, we shall examine the subject with some care,distinguishing the various types that occur.
Today’s terminology is unsatisfactory and confused; I shall not
attempt to establish a better. Rather I shall focus attention on theactual facts to which the various words apply, so that the reader willtend to think of the facts rather than the words. So far as the words
used are concerned, I shall try only to do no violence to establishedusages, and to be consistent within the book. Each word used will
be carefully defined, and the defined meaning will be adhered to.
5/2. Invariant. Through all the meanings runs the basic idea of an“invariant”: that although the system is passing through a series ofchanges, there is some aspect that is unchanging; so some statement can be made that, in spite of the incessant changing, is true
unchangingly. Thus, if we take a cube that is resting on one face
and tilt it by 5 degrees and let it go, a whole series of changes of
position follow. A statement such as “its tilt is 1°” may be true at
one moment but it is false at the next. On the other hand, the statement “its tilt does not exceed 6°” remains true permanently. This
truth is invariant for the system. Next consider a cone stood on its
point and released, like the cube, from a tilt of 5°. The statement“its tilt does not exceed 6°” is soon falsified, and (if we exclude
reference to other subjects) so are the statements with wider limits. This inability to put a bound to the system’s states along sometrajectory corresponds to “instability”.
These are the basic ideas. To make them incapable of ambiguity
we must go back to first principles.
5/3. State of equilibrium. The simplest case occurs when a state
and a transformation are so related that the transformation does73

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STABILITY

not cause the state to change. Algebraically it occurs when T(x) =x. Thus if T is

Ex. 4: Find all the states of equilibrium of the transformation:
dx/dt = e- sin x, dy/dt = x2.
Ex. 5: If x' = 2x–y + j, y' = x + y + k, find values for j and k that will give a stateof equilibrium at (1,1). (Hint: First modify the equations to represent thestate of equilibrium.)Ex. 6: If T(b) = b, must T2(b), T3(b), etc., all also equal b?
Ex. 7: Can an absolute system have more states of equilibrium than it has basins ?
Ex. 8: What is the characteristic appearance of the kinematic graph of a transformation whose states are all equilibrial ?
Ex. 9: (Continued.) What special name was such a transformation given in an
earlier chapter ?
Ex. 10: If the transformation is changed (the set of operands remaining the same)
are the states of equilibrium changed?
Ex. 11: If a machine’s input is changed, do its states of equilibrium change?
(Hint: See Ex.5.)

a b c d e f g h
d b h a e f b e

T: ↓then since T(b) = b, the state b is a state of equilibrium under T.
So also are e and f.
If the states are defined by vectors, then, for a vector to beunchanged, each component must be unchanged (by S.3/5). Thus
if the state is a vector (x, y), and the transformation is
2x – y + 2
U:  xy'' ==x + y + 3
then, at a state of equilibrium (x', y') must equal (x, y), and values
for x and y must satisfy the equations




i.e.





x = 2x – y + 2
y =x + y + 3
x–y =– 2
x =– 3So this system has only one state of equilibrium, at ( – 3, – 1). Had
the equations not been linear there might have been more.
Exactly the same state, of course, is obtained by using the factthat at a state of equilibrium each component’s change must be
zero, giving x' – x = 0, y'– y = 0; which leads to the same equations
as before.
If the equations are in differential form, then the statement thatx is to be unchanged with time is equivalent to saying that dx/dt
must be zero. So in the systemdx/dt = 2x – y2
dy/dt = xy – 1/2

S/4. Cycle. Related to the states of equilibrium is the cycle, asequence of states such that repeated application of the transformation takes the representative point repeatedly round the sequence.
Thus if T isa b c d e f g h
T: ↓ c h b h a c c gthen, from a, T generates the trajectorya c b h g c b h g c b ...
and the representative point repeatedly traverses the cycle
c → b
↑
↓
g ← h

Ex. 1: Verify that U transforms ( – 3, – 1) to ( – 3, – 1).
Ex. 2: Has the system (of the last paragraph) any state of equilibrium other than
(1/2,1)?
Ex. 3: Find all the states of equilibrium of the transformation:x'= e–y sin x,
y' = x2.

Ex. 1: Write down a transformation that contains two distinct cycles and threestates of equilibrium.
Ex. 2: (Continued.) Draw its kinematic graph.
Ex. 3: Can a state of equilibrium occur in a cycle ?
Ex. 4: Can an absolute system have more cycles than it has basins?
Ex. 5: Can one basin contain two cycles ?
*Ex. 6: Has the system dx/dt = y, dy/dt = –x a cycle?
*Ex. 7: If the transformation has a finite number of states and is closed and single-valued, can a trajectory end in any way other than at a state of equilibrium or in a cycle?

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75

the state (1/2,1) is one of equilibrium, because when x and y havethese values all the derivatives become zero, i.e. the system stops
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A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

STABILITY

5/5. Stable region. If a is a state of equilibrium, T(a) is, as we saw
in S.5/3, simply a. Thus the operation of T on a has generated no
new state.
The same phenomenon may occur with a set of states. Thus,
suppose T is the (unclosed) transformation

where it was pointed out that only when the set is stable can thetransformation proceed to all its higher powers unrestrictedly.
Another reason is discussed more fully in S.10/4, where it isshown that such stability is intimately related to the idea of someentity “surviving” some operation.

a b c d e f g h
T: ↓ p g b f a a b m

Ex. 1: What other sets are stable with respect to T?
Ex. 2: Is the set of states in a basin always stable?
Ex. 3: Is the set of states in a cycle always stable ?
Ex. 4: If a set of states is stable under T, and also under U, is it necessarily stable
under UT?

It has no state of equilibrium; but the set composed of b and g has
the peculiarity that it transforms thusb g
T: ↓ g bi. e. the operation of T on this set has generated no new state. Sucha t is stable with respect to T.

Fig. 5/5/1

This relation between a set of states and a transformation is, ofcourse, identical with that described earlier (S.2/4) as “closure”.
(The words “stable set” could have been used from there onwards,
but they might have been confusing before the concept of stability
was made clear; and this could not be done until other matters had
been explained first.)
If the transformation is continuous, the set of states may lie in aconnected region. Thus in Fig. 5/5/1, the region within the boundary A is stable; but that within B is not, for there are points within
the region, such as P, which are taken outside the region.
The concept of closure, of a stable set of states, is of fundamental importance in our studies. Some reasons were given in S.3/2,
76

DI S T URBANCE
5/6. In the cases considered so far, the equilibrium or stability has
been examined only at the particular state or states concerned.
Nothing has been said, or implied, about the behaviour at neighbouring states.
The elementary examples of equilibrium—a cube resting on its
face, a billiard ball on a table, and a cone exactly balanced on its
point—all show a state that is one of equilibrium. Yet the cone is
obviously different, and in an important way, from the cube. The
difference is shown as soon as the two systems are displaced by
disturbance from their states of equilibrium to a neighbouring
state. How is this displacement, and its outcome, to be represented
generally ?
A “disturbance” is simply that which displaces, that whichmoves a system from one state to another. So, if defined accurately, it will be represented by a transformation having the system’s states as operands. Suppose now that our dynamic system
has transformation T, that a is a state of equilibrium under T, andthat D is a given displacement-operator. In plain English we say:
“Displace the system from its state of equilibrium and then let thesystem follow its own laws for some time and see whether the system does or does not come back to the same state”. In algebraic
form, we start with a state of equilibrium a, displace the system tostate D(a), and then find TD(a), T2D(a), T3D(a), and so on; and wenotice whether this succession of states does or does not finish asa, a, a, .... More compactly: the state of equilibrium a in the system with transformation T is stable under displacement D if andonly ifn
lim T D ( a ) = an→∞

Try this formulation with the three standard examples. With the
cube, a is the state with angle of tilt = 0°. D displaces this to, say,77

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STABILITY

5°, and T eventually will bring this back to 0°. With the cone (having transformation U, say) D can be the same displacement, but
the limit, whatever it is, of UnD(a) is certainly not a tilt of 0°, theequilibrium is unstable. With the billiard ball, at position a, thedynamic laws will not bring it back to a after displacement, so it
is not stable by the definition given here. It has the peculiarity,
however, that the limit is D(a); i.e. it retains the displacement,
annulling it nor exaggerating it. This is the case of neutral equilibrium.
(It will be noticed that this study of what happens after the system has been displaced from a is worth making only if a is a stateof equilibrium.)

5/8. In general, the results of repeated application of a transformation to a state depend on what that state is. The outcome of the testof finding what isnlim T ( x )Ex. 1: Is the state of equilibrium c stable to T under the displacement D if T
given by:a b c d e↓Tc d c a eD
b a d e dEx. 2: (Continued.) What if the state of equilibrium is e?
Ex. 3: The region composed of the set of states b, c and d is stable under U:
a b c d e f↓U
d c b b c a
E
b e f
f f d
What is the effect of displacement E, followed by repeated action of U?
(Hint: Consider all three possibilities.)

5/7. When the dynamic system can vary continuously, small disturbances are, in practice, usually acting on it incessantly. Electronic systems are disturbed by thermal agitation, mechanicalsystems by vibration, and biological systems by a host of minor
disturbances. For this reason the only states of equilibrium thatcan, in practice, persist are those that are stable in the sense of theprevious section. States of unstable equilibrium are of small practical importance in the continuous system (though they may be ofimportance in the system that can change only by a discrete jump).
The concept of unstable equilibrium is, however, of some theoretical importance. For if we are working with the theory of somemechanism, the algebraic manipulations (S.5/3) will give us all
the states of equilibrium—stable, neutral, and unstable—and agood deal of elimination may be necessary if this set is to be
reduced to the set states that have a real chance of persistence.

n→∞will thus depend in general on which state is x. Thus if there are
two disturbances available, D and E, and D takes a to b, while E
takes a to c (no order being implied between a, b and c) the limitsof TnD(a) and TnE(a) may be different.
Thus the result of a test for stability, carried out in the mannerof S.5/6, may give different results according to whether the displacement is D or E. The distinction is by no means physicallyunreasonable. Thus a pencil, balanced on its square-cut base, may
be stable to D, if D is a displacement of 1° from the vertical, but
may be unstable to E, if E is a displacement of 5°.
The representation given in S.5/6 thus accords with common
practice. A system can be said to be in stable equilibrium only ifsome sufficiently definite set of displacements D is specified. If
the specification is explicit, then D is fully defined. Often D is not
given explicitly but is understood; thus if a radio circuit is said tobe “stable”, one understands that D means any of the commonlyoccurring voltage fluctuations, but it would usually be understoodto exclude the stroke of lightning. Often the system is understood
to be stable provided the disturbance lies within a certain range
What is important here is that in unusual cases, in biological systems for instance, precise specification of the disturbances D, andof the state of equilibrium under discussion a, may be necessary
if the discussion is to have exactness.

Ex.:Make up a transformation with two states of equilibrium, a and b, and two
disturbances, D and E, so that a is stable to D but not to E, and b is stable to
E but not to D.

5/9. The continuous system. In the previous sections, the statesconsidered were usually arbitrary. Real systems, however, often
show some continuity, so that the states have the natural relationship amongst themselves (quite apart from any transformation imposed by their belonging to a transducer) that two states can be“near” or “far from” one another.
With such systems, and a state of equilibrium a, D is usually
defined to be a displacement, from a, to one of the states “near” a.
If the states are defined by vectors with numerical components,
i.e. based on measurements, then D often has the effect of adding
small numerical quantities δ1, δ2, .., δn to the components, so thatthe vector (x1, . . ., xn) becomes the vector (x1 +δ1, . . ., xn + δn).
In this form, more specialised tests for stability become possible. An introduction to the subject has been given in Design...

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STABILITY

The subject soon becomes somewhat mathematical; here it is sufficient to notice that these questions are always capable of being
answered, at least in principle, by the process of actually tracing
the changes through the states D(a), TD(a), T2D(a), etc. (Compare S.3/9). The sole objection to this simple, fundamental andreliable method is that it is apt to become exceedingly laborious
in the complicated cases. It is, however, capable of giving ananswer in cases to which the more specialised methods are inapplicable. In biological material, the methods described in thischapter are likely to prove more useful than the more specialised;
for the latter often are applicable only when the system is continuous and linear, whereas the methods of this chapter are applicable always.
A specially simple and well known case occurs when the system consists of parts between which there is feedback, and when
this has the very simple form of a single loop. A simple test forstability (from a state of equilibrium assumed) is to consider thesequence of changes that follow a small displacement, as it travels
round the loop. If the displacement ultimately arrives back at its
place of origin with size and sign so that, when added algebraically to the initial displacement, the initial displacement is diminished, i.e. is (commonly) stable. The feedback, in this case, is said
to be “negative” (for it causes an eventual subtraction from theinitial displacement).
The test is simple and convenient, and can often be carried out
mentally; but in the presence of any complications it is unreliable
if carried out in the simple form described above. The next section
gives an example of one way in which the rule may break down if
applied crudely.

Ex. 7: A bus service starts with its buses equally spaced along the route. If a bus
is delayed, extra passengers collect at the stopping points, so it has to takeup, and set down, more passengers than usual. The bus that follows has fewer
passengers to handle and is delayed less than usual. Are irregularities of
spacing self-correcting or self-aggravating?
Ex. 8: What would happen if an increase of carbon dioxide in the blood made therespiratory centre less active?
Ex. 9: Is the system x'= 1/2y, y' = 1/2 x stable around (0,0)?

Ex. 1: Identify a, D and Tin Ex. 3/6/17. Is this system stable to this displacement?
Ex. 2: (Continued.) Contrast Ex. 3/6/19.
Ex. 3: Identify a and Tin Ex. 2/14/11. Is it stable if D is any displacement froma?
Ex. 4 Take a child’s train (one that runs on the floor, not on rails) and put the lineof carriages slightly out of straight. Let M be the set of states in whichthedeviations from straightness nowhere exceed 5°. Let T be the operation ofdrawing it along by the locomotive. Is M stable under T?
Ex. 5: (Continued.) Let U be the operation of pushing it backwards by the locomotive. Is M stable under U?
Ex. 6: Why do trains have their locomotives in front?

80

5/10. Positive feedback. The system described in the last exercise
deserves closer attention.
From (10,10) it goes to (5,5),, (10,12) ,, ,, ,, (6,5);
so an increase in y (from 10 to 12) leads to an increase in x (from
5 to 6). (Compare S.4/13.) Similarly,
from (10,10) it goes to (5,5),, (12,10) ,, ,, ,, (5,6)
so an increase in x (from 10 to 12) leads to an increase in y (from
5 to 6). Each variable is thus having a positive effect on the otherand if the system were discussed in plain words these facts might
be used to “prove” that it is unstable, for a vicious circle seems tobe acting.
The system’s behaviour, by converging back to (0,0), declaresindisputably that the system is stable around this state of equilibrium. It shows clearly that arguments based on some short cut, e.g.
by showing that the feedback is positive, may not be reliable. (Itshows also that feedback can be positive and yet leave the systemstable; yet another example of how unsuitable is the concept of
feedback outside its particular range of applicability.)
5/11. Undesirable stability. Stability is commonly thought of as
desirable, for its presence enables the system to combine of flexibility and activity in performance with something of permanence.
Behaviour that is goal-seeking is an example of behaviour that is
stable around a state of equilibrium. Nevertheless, stability is notalways good, for a system may persist in returning to some state
that, for other reasons, is considered undesirable. Once petrol is lit
it stays in the lit state, returning to it after disturbance has changed
it to “half-lit”—a highly undesirable stability to a fireman.
Another example is given by the suggestion that as the more
intelligent members of the community are not reproducing their81

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STABILITY

kind as freely as are the less intelligent, the Intelligence Quotientof the community will fall. Clearly it cannot fall very low, because
the feebleminded can reproduce better than the idiot. So if thesewere the only factors in the situation, the I.Q. would be stable atabout 90. Stability at this figure would be regarded by most people as undesirable.
An interesting example of stability occurs in the condition
known as “causalgia”, in which severe pain, without visible
cause, occurs in a nerve which has previously been partly divided.
Granit has shown that it is almost certainly due to conduction, atthe site of injury, of impulses from the motor (outgoing) to thesensory (incoming) nerves, allowing the formation of a regenerative circuit via the reflex centres in the spinal cord. Such a circuit
has two states of equilibrium, each stable: conducting few
impulses or conducting the maximal number. It is like a top-heavysee-saw, that will rest in either of two extreme conditions but will
not rest in between. The patient is well aware that “stability” canbe either good or bad, for of the two stable states one is comfortable and the other extremely painful.

system, an input-value that makes the other’s state to be one ofequilibrium. Then neither can change, and the whole cannotchange; and thus the whole must be at a state of equilibrium.
Thus each implies the other. Formally: the whole is at a state ofequilibrium if and only if each part is at a state of equilibrium inthe conditions provided by the other part. (If there are several
parts the last word is merely changed to “parts”.)

E Q U I LI BRI U M I N P A RT A ND W H OL E
5/12. We can now notice a relation between coupling and equilibrium that will be wanted later (S.12/14 and 13/19), for it has
important applications.
Suppose some whole system is composed of two parts A and B,
which have been coupled together:A←→ B

5/13. Power of veto. The same thesis can be stated more vividly
making it more useful conceptually. Suppose A and B are coupled
and suppose we are interested only in the occurrence of a state ofequilibrium (not of cycles). When the whole is started from some
initial state, and goes along some trajectory, A and B will passthrough various states. Suppose it happens that at some moment
B’s state provides conditions that make A’s present state one ofequilibrium. A will not change during the next step. If B is notitself at a state of equilibrium in the conditions provided by A, it
will move to a new state. A’s conditions will thereby be changed,
its states of equilibrium will probably be changed, and the state it
is at will probably no longer be one of equilibrium. So A will startmoving again.
Picturesquely, we can say that A proposed a state of equilibrium(for A was willing to stop), but B refused to accept the proposal,
or vetoed the state. We can thus regard each part as having, as it
were, a power of veto over the states of equilibrium of the whole.
No state (of the whole) can be a state of equilibrium unless it isacceptable to every one of the component parts, each acting in theconditions given by the others.
Ex.: Three one-variable systems, with Greek-letter parameters, are:x' = – x + α,y' = 2βy + 3,
z' =– γz + δ.
Can they be coupled so as to have a state of equilibrium at (0,0,0)? (Hint:
What value would β have to have ?)and suppose the whole is at a state of equilibrium.
This means that the whole’s state is unchanging in time. But thewhole’s state is a vector with two components: that of A’s state
and that of B’s. It follows that A, regarded as a sub-system, is alsounchanging; and so is B.
Not only is A’s state unchanging but so is the value of A’s
input; for this value is determined by B’s state (S.4/7), which isunchanging. Thus A is at a state of equilibrium in the conditions
provided by B. (Cf. Ex. 5/3/11.) The similar property holds for B.
Thus, if the whole is at a state of equilibrium, each part must be
in a state of equilibrium in the conditions provided by the other.
The argument can also be reversed. Suppose A and B are atstates of equilibrium, and that each state provides, for the other

5/14. The homeostat. This principle provides a simple way oflooking at the homeostat and of understanding its working. It canbe regarded as a part A coupled to a part B (Fig. 5/14/1).
Part A consists essentially of the four needles (with ancillarycoils, potentiometers, etc.) acting on one another to form afour-variable system to which B’s values are input. A’s state is
specified by the positions of the four needles. Depending on theconditions and input, A may have states of equilibrium with theneedles either central or at the extreme deviation.
Part B consists essentially of a relay, which can be energised or8283A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

STABILITY

not, and four stepping-switches, each of which can be in any oneof 25 positions (not shown accurately in the Figure). Each position carries a resistor of some value. So B has 2 × 25 × 25 × 25 ×
25, i.e. 781250, states. To this system A is input. B has been built
so that, with the relay energised, none of B’s states is equilibrial(i.e. the switches keep moving), while, with the relay not energised, all are equilibrial (i.e. all switches stay where they are).
Finally, B has been coupled to A so that the relay is non-energised when and only when A is stable at the central positions.

5/15. The complex of ideas involved in “stability” can now besummarised.
First there is the state of equilibrium—the state that is
unchanged by the transformation. Then the state may become
multiple, and we get the stable set of states, of which the cycle andbasin are examples.
Given such a state or set of states and some particular disturbance we can ask whether, after a disturbance, the system will
return to its initial region. And if the system is continuous, we can
ask whether it is stable against all disturbances within a certain
range of values.
Clearly, the concept of stability is essentially a compound one.
Only when every aspect of it has been specified can it be appliedunambiguously to a particular case. Then if its use calls for somuch care, why should it be used at all ? Its advantage is that, inthe suitable case, it can sum up various more or less intricate possibilities briefly. As shorthand, when the phenomena are suitably
simple, words such as equilibrium and stability are of great value
and convenience. Nevertheless, it should be always borne in mind
that they are mere shorthand, and that the phenomena will notalways have the simplicity that these words presuppose. At all
times the user should be prepared to delete them and to substitutethe actual facts, in terms of states and transformations and trajectories, to which they refer.
It is of interest to notice, to anticipate S.6/19, that the attempt tosay what is significant about a system by a reference to its stability
is an example of the “topological” method for describing a large
system. The question “what will this system do?”, applied to, say,an economic system, may require a full description of every detailof its future behaviour, but it may be adequately answered by themuch simpler statement “It will return to its usual state” (or perhaps “it will show ever increasing divergence”). Thus our treatment in this chapter has been of the type required when dealing
with the very large system.

Fig. 5/14/1

When a problem is set (by a change of value at some input to A
not shown formally in the Figure), A has a variety of possible
states of equilibrium, some with the needles at the central positions, some with the needles fully diverged. The whole will go tosome state of equilibrium. An equilibrium of the whole implies
that B must be in equilibrium, by the principle of the previous section. But B has been made so that this occurs only when the relay
is non-energised. And B has been coupled to A so that the relay is
non-energised only when A’s needles are at or near the centres.
Thus the attachment if B vetoes all of A’s equilibria except suchas have the needles at he centre.
It will now be seen that every graph shown in Design . . . could
have been summed up by one description: “trajectory of a system
tinning to a state of equilibrium”. The homeostat, in a sense, doesnothing more than run to a state of equilibrium. What Design . . .
showed was that this simple phrase may cover many intricate andinteresting ways of behaving, many of them of high interest in
physiology and psychology.
(The subject of “stability” recurs frequently, especially in S.9/
6, 0/4, 12/11; that of the homeostat is taken up again in S.12/15.)
84

85

THE BLACK BOX

6

Chapter

TH E BLA CK BOX
6/1. The methods developed in the previous chapters now enable
us to undertake a study of the Problem of the Black Box; and thestudy will provide an excellent example of the use of the methods.
The Problem of the Black Box arose in electrical engineering.
The engineer is given a sealed box that has terminals for input, towhich he may bring any voltages, shocks, or other disturbances hepleases, and terminals for output, from which he may observe
what he can. He is to deduce what he can of its contents.
Sometimes the problem arose literally, when a secret and sealed
bomb-sight became defective and a decision had to be made,without opening the box, whether it was worth returning for repair
or whether it should be scrapped. Sometimes the problem arose
practically, as when a telephone engineer considered a complicated set of relations between tests applied and results observed,
in the middle of a mass of functioning machinery that was not tobe dismantled for insufficient reason.
Though the problem arose in purely electrical form, its range ofapplication is far wider. The clinician studying a patient withbrain damage and aphasia may be trying, by means of tests given
and speech observed, to deduce something of the mechanisms thatare involved. And the psychologist who is studying a rat in a maze
may act on the rat with various stimuli and may observe the rat’s
various behaviours; and by putting the facts together he may try
to deduce something about the neuronic mechanism that he cannot observe. I need not give further examples as they are to befound everywhere (S.6/17).
Black Box theory is, however, even wider in application thanthese professional studies. The child who tries to open a door has
to manipulate the handle (the input) so as to produce the desired
movement at the latch (the output); and he has to learn how tocontrol the one by the other without being able to see the internalmechanism that links them. In our daily lives we are confronted atevery turn with systems whose internal mechanisms are not fully
open to inspection, and which must be treated by the methods
appropriate to the Black Box.
86

The experimenter who is not interested in Black Box theory
usually regards any casing as merely a nuisance, for it delays his
answering the question “what is in this Box?” We, however, shallbe considering such larger questions as“How should an experimenter proceed when faced with a BlackBox ?”“What properties of the Box’s contents are discoverable andwhat are fundamentally not discoverable ?”“What methods should be used if the Box is to be investigatedefficiently ?”Proper attention can be given to these questions only by our
accepting the existence, at least temporarily, of a casing, and proceeding accordingly. Then, and only then, can we develop a scientific epistemology.
6/2. To start with, let us make no assumptions at all about thenature of the Box and its contents, which might be something, say,that has just fallen from a Flying Saucer. We assume, though, thatthe experimenter has certain given resources for acting on it (e.g.
prodding it, shining a light on it) and certain given resources forobserving its behaviour (e.g. photographing it, recording its
temperature). By thus acting on the Box, and by allowing the Box
to affect him and his recording apparatus, the experimenter is coupling himself to the Box, so that the two together form a systemwith feedback:Box ←→ Experimenter
For the coupling to be made in some defined and reproducible
way, the Box’s “input” must be specified, if only arbitrarily andprovisionally. Every real system has an indefinitely large numberof possible inputs—of possible means by which the experimenter
may exert some action on the Box. Equally, it has an indefinitely
large number of possible outputs—of ways by which it may affectthe experimenter, perhaps through recording instruments. If theinvestigation is to be orderly, the set of inputs to be used and of
outputs to be observed must be decided on, at least provisionally.
Let us assume, then, that this has been done.
The situation that we (author and reader) are considering can bemade clearer by the introduction of two harmless conventions. Let
it be assumed that the inputs, whatever their real nature, arereplaced by, or represented by, a set of levers or pointers—like thecontrols to a domestic cooking oven. We can then be quite clear87

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE BLACK BOX

as to what is meant by the input “being in a certain state”—it is
the state that would be shown on a snapshot of the controls. Also
let us assume that the output consists of a set of dials, attached to
the Box and affected by the mechanism inside, so that the pointerson the dials show, by their positions at any particular moment, thestate of the output.
We now see the experimenter much like the engineer in a ship,
who sits before a set of levers and telegraphs by which he may act
on the engines, and who can observe the results on a row of dials.
The representation, though it may seem unnatural, is in fact, ofcourse, capable of representing the great majority of natural systems, even if biological or economic.

sible input states α and β, and possible output states f, g, h and j,a typical protocol might read (and be yet another transformation!):

6/3. The Investigation. A man cannot step twice into the samewater; neither can he twice conduct the same experiment. What hecan do is to perform another experiment which differs from thefirst only in some way that is agreed to be negligible.
The same fact applies to an examination of the Black Box. The
sic data will always be of the form:
TimeStates of input andoutput…
…
…
…
…
…
in which, at each of a sequence of times, the states of the Box’svarious parts, input and output, are recorded. Thus, the Box thatfell from the Flying Saucer might lead to the protocol:
↓

Time

State

11.18 a.m.

I did nothing—the Box emitted a steady hum at 240 c/s.

11.19

I pushed over the switch marked K: the note rose to 480 c/s andremained steady.

11.20

Accidentally I pushed the button marked “!”—the Box increasedin temperature by 20°C.

…

Etc.

(The word protocol will be reserved for such a form andsequence.)
Thus every system, fundamentally, is investigated by the collection of a long protocol, drawn out in time, showing thesequence of input and output states. Thus if one system had pos88

Time: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17State: αg αj αf αf αf βf βh βh αh αj βf αh βj βf αh βj αf(Parentheses have been omitted for brevity.)This form, though it may seem artificial and unnatural, is in fact
typical and general. It will represent anything from the investigation of an electrical network by putting in a sinusoidal voltage andobserving the output, to a psychiatric interview at which questionsα, β were put and answers g, f, h, j elicited.
Thus, the primary data of any investigation of a Black Box consists of a sequence of values of the vector with two components:(input state, output state).
(The possibility is not excluded that each component may itself
be a vector (S.3/5).)
From this there follows the fundamental deduction that allknowledge obtainable from a Black Box (of given input and output) is such as can be obtained by re-coding the protocol; all that,and nothing more.
Ex.: Tabulate the transitions observed in the system that started at αγ. Find someregularities in them.

6/4. It will be noticed that nothing has been said about the skill of
the experimenter in manipulating the input. The omission wasdeliberate, for no skill is called for! We are assuming, remember,that nothing is known about the Box, and when this is so themethod of making merely random variations (e.g. guided bythrows of a die) on the input-switches is as defensible as any othermethod, for no facts yet exist that could be appealed to as justification for preferring any particular method. With terrestrial
machinery—industrial, biological, neuronic—the experimenterhas often had previous experiences with Boxes of the same class.
When this is so he may be able to use a method that explores what
he does not know about the present Box more efficiently thansome other method. (These matters, of exploring a partly known
system, lead into questions of altogether more advanced type, andtheir consideration must be postponed; a little is said on the subject in S.13/5 and onwards.)
6/5. Absoluteness. When a generous length of record has beenobtained, the experimenter will look for regularities, for repetitiveness in the behaviour (S.7/19). He may notice, for instance, in
89

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE BLACK BOX

Ex. 6/3/1, that α j is always followed by either αf or βf—that
although the α’s transition is not single-valued, that of the j is.
So he examines the record. Usually his first concern is to see
whether the Box is absolute if the input state is given. He does thisby collecting:

One way is to alter the set of inputs and outputs—to take morevariables into account—and then to see if the new system (equivalent to a new Box, S.3/11) is determinate. Thus a chemist may
find that a system’s behaviour is at first not determinate, but thatwhen the presence of traces of chloride is taken into account it
becomes determinate. A great deal of research consists of suchsearches for a suitable set of variables.
A second way is to abandon the attempt to find strict determinacy and to look for statistical determinacy, i.e. determinacy inaverages etc. The experimenter, with extensive records available,
then studies them in long sections, to see whether, if the details are
not predictable from step to step, the averages (or similar statistics) are predictable from section to section. He may find that therecords show the statistical determinateness of the Markov chain;(but discussion of this will be left to Chapter 9, for until then weshall be concerned only with machines that are determinate fromstep to step).
To summarise: once the protocol has been obtained, the system’s determinateness can be tested, and (if found determinate) its
canonical representation can be deduced.

(i) all the transitions that followed the input state α, sortingthem into what g went to, what h went to, and so on throughall the output states;(ii) the same for input β;(iii) and so on through all the observed input states.
What he tries, in other words, is to fill in a set of transformations
like those of S.4/1, and he examines what he gets to see if they are
single- valued.
Thus, if the given protocol is tested, and if every one of the 16transforms is recorded, there results:
↓
α
β

f
fff
hhh

g
j
.

h
jjj
hh

j
ff
ff

(No transition was observed from g with input at β.) Within eachcell the letters are all equal, so the table can be simplified to:↓ f g h j
α f j j f
β h . h fwith a statement that throughout the protocol this closed singlevalued transformation was observed.
Thus by direct re-coding of the protocol the experimenter candemonstrate that the behaviour is machine-like, and he candeduce its canonical representation.
It should be noticed that he has deduced it from direct observation of the Box’s actual behaviour. He has relied on no “borrowed” knowledge. Whatever he may have expected, andregardless of the confidence of his expectation, the final deduction depends only on what actually happened. Thus, in any conflict between what he, or others, expected and what was found,these empirical results are final as a statement of the Box’s nature.
Should the system not be determinate, i.e. the transformation
not single-valued, he can proceed in either of two ways.
90

Ex. 1: Deduce the kinematic graph for input at α directly from the protocol of thesystem of S.6/3.
Ex. 2: (Continued.) and for input at f.
Ex. 3: A system with only one input state gave the following sequence of states
as output:
D G A H C L H C L H C F C…
Is it absolute?
Ex. 4: A system has two variables, x and y, each of which can take the values 0,
1 or 2. The input can take two values, α or β. The protocol gave:
Time:
Input:x:y:

1 2 3 4 5α α α α α
1 0 0 0 0
1 0 1 0 1

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
β α α α α α α α
0 1 2 2 1 0 0 0
0 2 1 0 1 0 1 0

Time:Input:x:y:

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
β α α β β β α β β β α β0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1
1 2 1 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 2 1

Is it a machine with input ?
Ex. 5: (Continued.) What is its transformation if the input is held at α?
Ex. 6: If a machine has m input-states and n output-states, what is the least
number of steps of observation sufficient for its complete study?

91

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE BLACK BOX

Ex. 7: Two Black Boxes are of identical external appearance, and each has a single input α and a single output x, each a numerical variable. They werelabelled I and II, and their canonical representations were found to be
I: x' = x + 1— α
II: x' = (1 + α)x —2 + α.

connexions” is not unique. The radio set, for instance, has one diagram of connexions if considered electrically and another if considered mechanically. An insulator, in fact, is just such acomponent as will give firm mechanical connexion while giving
no electrical connexion. Which pattern of connexions will befound depends on which set of inputs and outputs is used.
Even if the diagram of immediate effects is unique, it does notindicate a unique pattern of connexions within the Box. Thus suppose a Black Box has an output of two dials, x and y; and suppose
it has been found that x dominates y. The diagram of immediate
effects is thus
x → y
(in which the two boxes are parts of the whole Box). This relationship can be given by an infinity of possible internal mechanisms.
A particular example occurs in the case in which relays open or
close switches in order to give a particular network of connexions.
It has been shown by Shannon that any given behaviour can beproduced by an indefinitely large number of possible networks.
Thus let x represent a contact that will be closed when the relay X
is energised, and let x represent one that will be opened. Suppose
similarly that another relay Y has similar contacts y and y. Suppose that the network is to conduct from p to q when and only
when both X and Y are energised.

Unfortunately the labels “I” and “II” have since become detached and it is
now not known which is which. Suggest a simple test that will re- identify
them.

6/6. Inaccessible states. Examination of the transformations
↓

f

g

h

j

α
β

f j j fh f h fshows that the state g, once past in the protocol, cannot be madeto re-appear by any manipulations of the input. The transitions
from g thus cannot be explored further or tested repeatedly. Thisfact, that certain states of the Box cannot be returned to at will, isvery common in practice. Such states will be called inaccessible.
In its most dramatic form it occurs when the investigation of a
new type of enemy mine leads to an explosion—which can be
described more abstractly by saying that the system has passed
from a state to which no manipulation at the input can make thesystem return. Essentially the same phenomenon occurs whenexperiments are conducted on an organism that learns; for as timegoes on it leaves its “unsophisticated” initial state, and no simple
manipulation can get it back to this state. In such experiments,
however, the psychologist is usually investigating not the particular individual but the particular species, so he can restore the initial state by the simple operation of taking a new individual.
Thus the experimenter, if the system is determinate, must either
restrict himself to the investigation of a set of states that is bothclosed and freely accessible, such as f, h, j in the example, or hemust add more states to his input so that more transformations
become available and thus, perhaps, give a transition to g.

Fig. 6/7/1

6/7. Deducing connexions. It is now clear that something of theconnexions within a Black Box can be obtained by deduction. For
direct manipulation and observation gives the protocol, this (if thesystem is determinate) gives the canonical representation, and thisgives the diagram of immediate effects (one for each input state)(S.4/13). But we must go cautiously.
It must be noticed that in a real system the “diagram of internal

The network A of Fig. 6/7/1, in which x and y are connected inseries, will show the required behaviour. So also will B, and C,
and an indefinitely large number of other networks.
The behaviour does not specify the connexions uniquely.

92

93

Ex.: (Ex. 6/5/4 continued.) Deduce the diagram of immediate effects when the
input is fixed at α. (Hint: S.4/13.)

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE BLACK BOXI S O M O RP H I C M A C H IN E S
6/8. Study of a Black Box can thus give the experimenter information up to a certain amount; and, if the inputs and outputs are
given, cannot possibly be made to give more. How much information will be discussed in S. 13/15 (especially its last Ex.). Here itis sufficient if we notice that the canonical representation specifies or identifies the mechanism “up to an isomorphism”.
“Isomorphic” means, roughly, “similar in pattern”. It is a concept of the widest range and of the utmost importance to all who
would treat accurately of matters in which “pattern” plays a part.
Let us consider first a few examples merely to illustrate the basic
ideas.
A photographic negative and the print from it are, so far as thepattern of the picture is concerned, isomorphic. Squares in thenegative appear as squares in the print; circles appear as circles;
parallel lines in the one stay as parallel lines in the other. Thus certain relations between the parts within the negative appear as thesame relations in the print, though the appearances so far as
brightness is concerned are different, exactly opposite in fact.
Thus the operation of changing from negative to print leaves these
relations unaltered (compare S.5/2).
A map and the countryside that it represents are isomorphic (ifthe map is accurate!). Relationships in the country, such as thattowns A, B and C form an equilateral triangle, occur unchangedon the map, where the representative dots for A, B and C also
form an equilateral triangle.
The patterns need not be visual. If a stone is thrown verticallyupwards with an initial velocity of 50 ft. per second, there is an
isomorphism between the set of points in the air such that at time
t the stone was h feet up and the set of those points on a graph thatsatisfy the equation

through a spring S to a heavy wheel M, which is rigidly connectedto the output shaft O. O’s degree of rotation is shown on the dialv, which is its output. The wheel dips into a trough with liquid F
which applies a frictional force to the wheel, proportional to thewheel’s velocity. If now, starting from given conditions, the input
u is taken through some sequence of values, so will the output v
pass through some determinate sequence of values, the particularsequence depending on v’s initial value, on v’s rate of change atthat moment, and on the sequence used for the input at u.

Fig. 6/8/1

The lines along which air flows (at sub-sonic speeds) past an
aerofoil form a pattern that is identical with the lines along whichelectric current flows in a conducting liquid past a non- conductorof the same shape as the aerofoil. The two patterns are the same,
though the physical bases are different.
Another isomorphism is worth consideration in more detail.
Fig. 6/8/1 shows two dynamic systems, each with an input and an
output. In the upper one, the left-hand axle I is the input; it can berotated to any position, shown on the dial u. It is connected

The lower system is electrical. Its input is a potentiometer, orother device, J, that emits the voltage shown on the scale x. In
series are an inductance L, a resistance R, and a capacitance C. P
is a current meter (such as is used in domestic supplies) recording
the sum of the currents that have passed through it. The sum isshown on the scale y, which is its output.
If now the values of L, R and C are adjusted to match the stiffness of the spring, inertia of the wheel, and friction at F (though
not respectively), then the two systems can show a remarkablefunctional identity. Let them both start from rest. Apply any
input-sequence of values at u, however long and arbitrary, and get
an output sequence at v, of equal length: if the same sequence ofvalues is given at x, the output at y will be identical, along its
whole length with that at v. Try another input sequence to u andrecord what appears at v: the same input given to x will result in

94

95

y = 50x – 16x2.

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE BLACK BOX

an output at y that copies that at v. Cover the central parts of themechanism and the two machines are indistinguishable throughout an infinite number of tests applied. Machines can thus show
the profoundest similarities in behaviour while being, from otherpoints of view, utterly dissimilar.
Nor is this all. Well known to mathematicians are equations of
the type

It is important because most systems have both difficult and easy
patches in their properties. When an experimenter comes to a difficult patch in the particular system he is investigating he may if
an isomorphic form exists, find that the corresponding patch in theother form is much easier to understand or control or investigate.
And experience has shown that the ability to change to an isomorphic form, though it does not give absolutely trustworthy evidence (for an isomorphism may hold only over a certain range), isnevertheless a most useful and practical help to the experimenter.
In science it is used ubiquitously.

2

dz
d z
a -------2- + b ----- + cz = w
dt
dt
by which, if a graph is given showing how w varied with time (t),the changes induced in z can be found. Thus w can be regarded as
an “input” to the equation and z an “output”. If now a, b, and c are
given values suitably related to L, R, S, etc., the relation between
w and z becomes identical with those between u and v, andbetween x and y. All three systems are isomorphic.
The great practical value of isomorphisms is now becoming
apparent. Suppose the problem has arisen how the mechanicalsystem will behave under certain conditions. Given the input u,
the behaviour v is required. The real mechanical system may be
awkward for direct testing: it may be too massive, or not readily
accessible, or even not yet made! If, however, a mathematician isavailable, the answer can be found quickly and easily by finding
the output z of the differential equation under input w. It would besaid, in the usual terms, that a problem in mathematical physics
had been solved. What should be noticed, however, is that theprocess is essentially that of using a map—of using a convenientisomorphic representation rather than the inconvenient reality.
It may happen that no mathematician is available but that anelectrician is. In that case, the same principle can be used again.
The electrical system is assembled, the input given to x, and theanswer read off at y. This is more commonly described as “building an electrical model”.
Clearly no one of the three systems has priority; any can substitute for the others. Thus if an engineer wants to solve the differential equation, he may find the answer more quickly by building
the electrical system and reading the solutions at y. He is then usually said to have “built an analogue computer”. The mechanicalsystem might, in other circumstances, be found a more convenient
form for the computer. The big general-purpose digital computeris remarkable precisely because it can be programmed to become
isomorphic with any dynamic system whatever.
The use of isomorphic systems is thus common and important.
96

6/9. It must now be shown that this concept of isomorphism, vast
though its range of applicability, is capable of exact and objective

Fig. 6/9/1

definition. The most fundamental definition has been given by
Bourbaki; here we need only the form suitable for dynamic systems It applies quite straightforwardly once two machines havebeen reduced to their canonical representations.
Consider, for instance, the two simple machines M and N, withcanonical representations
↓

a

b

c

↓

d

α
Μ: β

g

h

j

k

a c d cδ k j h g
Ν: εb a d ck h g gThey show no obvious relation. If, however, their kinematic
graphs are drawn, they are found to be as in Fig. 6/9/1. Inspection
shows that there is a deep resemblance. In fact, by merely rearranging the points in N without disrupting any arrow (S.2/17) we
can get the form shown in Fig. 6/9/2.
These graphs are identical with M’s graphs, apart from the labelling.
More precisely: the canonical representations of two machines
are isomorphic if a one-one transformation of the states (input and97

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output) of the one machine into those of the other can convert the
one representation to the other.
Thus, in the example given, apply the one-one transformation Pδ ε g h j k
P: ↓ β α c a b d
to N’s table, applying it to the borders as well as to the body. The
result is
↓

c

a

b

d

β
α

d b a cd a c cThis is essentially the same as M. Thus, c and β in the border give

THE BLACK BOX

The transformation P:
P: ↓

u
v
y –x
is a shorthand way of describing the one-one transformation thatpairs off states in S and R thus:
in S, (2,3) against (–3,2) in R,, ,, (1,0) ,,(0,1) ,, ,,,, ,, (4,5) ,,(–5,4) ,, ,,,, ,, (–3,0) ,,(0,–3) ,, ,,i.e. ,, ,,(u,v) ,,(–v,u) ,, ,,(Compare U of S.4/9.) Apply P to all the description of S; theresult isy' = – y + x–x' = – y – xwhich is algebraically identical with R. So R and S are isomorphic.
Ex. 1: What one-one transformation will show these absolute systems to be isomorphic?
Y: ↓ ac bc dc dd be
Z: ↓ pr qq qr ps rt

Fig. 6/9/2

d in both. The isomorphism thus corresponds to the definition.
(The isomorphism can be seen more clearly if first the rows areinterchanged, to↓ c a b dαβd a c cd b a cand then the columns interchanged, to
↓

a

b

α
β

c

d

a c d cb a d cbut this re-arrangement is merely for visual convenience.)
When the states are defined by vectors the process is essentiallyunchanged. Suppose R and S are two absolute systems:=– u – v
R:  x' = x + y
S:  u' y' = x – y v' = – u + v
98(Hint: Try to identify some characteristic feature, such as a state of equilibrium.)Ex. 2: How many one-one transformations are there that will show these absolutesystems to be isomorphic?
a b c
B: ↓ pr qp qr
A: ↓ b c a*Ex. 3: Write the canonical equations of the two systems of Fig. 6/8/1 and showthat they are isomorphic. (Hint: How many variables are necessary if the system is to be a machine with input ?)Ex. 4: Find a re-labelling of variables that will show the absolute systems A and
B to be isomorphic.
 x' = – x2 + y u' = w2 + u
A:  y' = – x2 – y
B:  v' = – v2 + w
 z' = y2 + z
 w' = – v2 – w(Hint: On the right side of A one variable is mentioned only once; the sameis true of B. Also, in A, only one of the variables depends on itself quadratically, i.e. if of the form a' = + a2 . . . ; the same is true of B.)

6/10. The previous section showed that two machines are isomorphic if one can be made identical to the other by simple relabelling. The “re-labelling”, however, can have various degrees ofcomplexity, as we will now see.
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THE BLACK BOX

The system that is specified only by states, as in the previous
section, contains no direct reference either to parts or to variables.
In such a case, “re-labelling” can mean only “re-labelling thestates”. A system with parts or variables, however, can also be
re-labelled at its variables—by no means the same thing. Relabelling the variables, in effect, re-labels the states but in a way subject to considerable constraint (S.7/8), whereas the re-labelling ofstates can be as arbitrary as we please. So a re-labelling of thestates is more general than a re-labelling of the variables.
Thus suppose a system has nine states; an arbitrary re-labellingof eight of the states does not restrict what label shall be given to
the ninth. Now suppose that the system has two variables, x andy, and that each can take three values: x1, x2, x3 and y1, y2, y3. Nine
states are possible, of which two are (x2,y3) and (x3,y1). Suppose
this system is re-labelled in its variables, thus

Ex. 1: (Ex. 6/9/4 continued.) Compare the diagram of immediate effects of A andB.
Ex. 2: Mark the following properties of an absolute system as changed or
unchanged by a re-labelling of its states: (i) The number of basins in its
phase-space; (ii) whether it is reducible; (iii) its number of states of equilibrium; (iv) whether feedback is present; (v) the number of cycles in its
phase-space.
Ex. 3: (Continued.) How would they be affected by a re-labelling of variables?

↓ ξ η
x y



B

p
↓
r → q ←
→ s

h ←
→ l

u =x – yv =x + y

P: 

If now (x2,y3) is transformed to some state (α,β), and (x3,y1) istransformed to (γ,δ), then, for consistency, the state (x2,y1) must
transform to (α,δ). (Draw the phase spaces and identify the values
on the ξ and η axes.) Thus the nine states now cannot be transformed arbitrarily and independently. A re-labelling of the variables offers less scope for change than a re-labelling of states.
As a result, certain features that are destroyed by a re-labellingof states are preserved by a re-labelling of variables. Among themis the diagram of immediate effects.
The system described by its states has, of course, no such diagram, for it has in effect only one variable. A system with variables, however, has a diagram of immediate effects. The
phase-space now has axes; and it is easily seen, after a few trials,
that a one-one transformation that re- labels the variables, changes
the diagram of immediate effects only to the extent of a “buttonand string” change; turning, say, A into B:
A

6/11. The subject of isomorphism is extensive, and only an introduction to the subject can be given here. Before we leave it, however, we should notice that transformations more complex than asimple re-labelling of variables can change the diagram of immediate effects. Thus the systems
 x' = 1/2(x2 + y2) + xy + y u' = – u
B: 
A: 
2
2
2
 y' = 1/2(x + y ) + xy + x v' = v + v
are isomorphic under the one-one transformation

j

k



Yet A’s diagram isx ←→ ywhile B’s diagram isuvi.e. two unconnected variables.
The “method of normal co-ordinates”, widely used in mathematical physics, consists in applying just such a transformation as
will treat the system not in its obvious form but in an isomorphic
form that has all its variables independent. In this transformation
the diagram of immediate effects is altered grossly; what is
retained is the set of normal modes, i.e. its characteristic way of
behaving.
Such a transformation (as P above), that forms some functionof the variables (i.e. x—y) represents, to the experimenter, morethan a mere re-labelling of the x-, y-output dials. It means that the
Box’s output of x and y must be put through some physical apparatus that will take x and y as input and will emit x—y and x + y
as new outputs. This combining corresponds to a more complex
operation than was considered in S.6/10.
Ex.: Show that A and B are isomorphic. (Hint: (x—y)' = x'—y': why?)

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THE BLACK BOX

H O M O M O R P H I C M A C HIN E S
6/12. The definition given for isomorphism defines “equality” inthe strictest sense—it allows that two machines (or two Black
Boxes) are “equal” only when they are so alike that an accidental
interchange of them would be subsequently indetectable, at leastby any test applied to their behaviours.
There are, however, lesser degrees of resemblance. Thus two
pendulums, one beating seconds and the other half-seconds, areobviously similar, yet they are not isomorphic in the strict sense.
There is, however, some similarity, which is shown by the factthat they become isomorphic if they are measured on separate
timescales, the one having half the values of the other.
Two machines may also be related by a “homomorphism.” Thisoccurs when a many-one transformation, applied to the more
complex, can reduce it to a form that is isomorphic with the simpler. Thus the two machines M and N

It will be found that the repetitions do not contradict one another,and that the table can equally well be given as

↓

a

b

c

d

↓

e

g

h

α g h
b a b c a
Ν: βa b c b ch h
Μ:k a b b e dl b c a e e
may seem at first sight to have little resemblance. There is, however, a deep similarity. (The reader will gain much if he reads nofurther until he has discovered, if only vaguely, where the similarity lies; notice the peculiarity of N’s table, with three elements
alike and one different—can anything like that be seen in the tableof M7.—if cut into quadrants?)
Transform M by the many-one transformation T:ija b c d e i j k l
T: ↓ h h h g g β β α α(which is single-valued but not one-one as in S.6/9) and we get
↓

h

h

h

g

g

β
β

h
h
h
h

h
h
h
h

h
h
h
h

h
h
g
g

h
h
g
g

α
α

102

↓

h

g

β
α

h
h

h
g

which is isomorphic with N.
Examination of M shows now where the resemblance to N lies.
Within M the transitions occur in blocks; thus a, b and c always
go to some one of a, b or c. And the blocks in M undergo transitions in the same way as the states in N. N is thus equivalent to asimplified version of M.
The relation can be displayed in another way. Suppose first thetwo machines are viewed by some one who can distinguish all the
five states of M; he will report simply that M is different from N(i.e. not isomorphic) and more complex. Suppose next that they
are viewed by some observer with less power of discrimination,
one who cannot discriminate between a, b, and c, but lumps them
all together as, say, A; and who also lumps d and e together as B,
i and j as I', and k and l as d. This new observer, seeing this simplified version of M, will report that it is isomorphic with N. Thus
two machines are homomorphic when they become alike if one ismerely simplified, i.e. observed with less than full discrimination.
Formally, if two machines are so related that a many-one transformation can be found that, applied to one of the machines, gives
a machine that is isomorphic with the other, then the other (thesimpler of the two) is a homomorphism of the first.
Ex.: Is isomorphism simply an extreme case of homomorphism?
Problem: What other types of homomorphism are there between machine
and machine?

6/13. If the methods of this book are to be applied to biologicalsystems, not only must the methods become sufficiently complex
to match the systems but the systems must be considerably simplified if their study is ever to be practical. No biological system
has yet been studied in its full complexity, nor is likely to be for avery long time. In practice the biologist always imposes a tremendous simplification before he starts work: if he watches a birdbuilding its nest he does not see all the intricate pattern of detailed
neuronic activities in the bird’s brain; if he studies how a lizard
escapes from its enemies he does not observe the particularmolecular and ionic changes in its muscles; if he studies a tribe at103

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE BLACK BOX

its council meeting he does not observe all the many detailed
processes going on in the individual members. The biologist thus
usually studies only a small fraction of the system that faces him.
Any statement he makes is only a half-truth, a simplification. To
what extent can systems justifiably be simplified? Can a scientist
work properly with half-truths?
The practical man, of course, has never doubted it. Let us see
whether we can make the position clear and exact.
Knowledge can certainly be partial and yet complete in itself.
Perhaps the most clear-cut example occurs in connexion withordinary multiplication. The complete truth about multiplicationis, of course, very extensive, for it includes the facts about all possible pairs, including such items as that
14792 × 4,183584 = 61883,574528.

This is the machine as seen by the first observer (call him One).
Suppose now that another observer (call him Two) was unable todistinguish states a and d, and also unable to distinguish b and e.
Let us give the states new names for clarity:a d c b e

There is, however, a much smaller portion of the whole which
consists simply in the facts that
Even × Even = Even
Even × 0dd = Even
0dd × Even = Even
0dd × 0dd = 0dd
What is important here is that though this knowledge is only an
infinitesimal fraction of the whole it is complete within itself. (Itwas, in fact, the first homomorphism considered in mathematics.)
Contrast this completeness, in respect of Even and Odd, with theincompleteness shown by
2 × 2 = 4
2 × 4 = 8
4 × 2 = 8
4 × 4 = 16
which leaves unmentioned what is 4 × 8, etc. Thus it is perfectly
possible for some knowledge, though partial in respect of somelarger system, to be complete within itself, complete so far as it
goes.
Homomorphisms may, as we have seen, exist between two different machines. They may also exist within one machine:
between the various possible simplifications of it that still retain
the characteristic property of being machine-like (S.3/1). Suppose, for instance, that the machine were A:a b c d e
A: ↓ e b a b e
104

↓ 123
K

123

↓

123

L M
The second observer, seeing states K, L or M would find themachine’s behaviour determinate. Thus when at K (really a or d)it would always go to M (either b or e), and so on. He would saythat it behaved according to the closed transformation
K L M↓ M K Mand that this was single-valued, and thus determinate.
The new system has been formed simply by grouping together
certain states that were previously distinct, but it does not followthat any arbitrary grouping will give a homomorphism. Thus suppose yet another observer Three could distinguish only two states:a b c d e
14243

P
Q
He would find that P changed sometimes to Q (when P was reallyat a) and sometimes to P (when P was really at b or c). The change
from P is thus not single-valued, and Three would say that themachine (with states P and Q) was not determinate. He would be
dissatisfied with the measurements that led to the distinction
between P and Q and would try to become more discriminating,so as to remove the unpredictability.
A machine can thus be simplified to a new form when its states
are compounded suitably. Scientific treatment of a complex system does not demand that every possible distinction be made.
Ex. 1: What homomorphism combines Odd and Even by the operation of addition ?
Ex. 2: Find all possible simplifications of the four-state systema b c d↓ b b d cwhich leaves the result still a determinate machine.
Ex. 3: What simplification is possible in x' = – y2 y' = x + y,
if the result is still to be a determinate machine ?

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6/14. The deliberate refusal to attempt all possible distinctions,and the deliberate restriction of the study of a dynamic system tosome homomorphism of the whole, become justified, and in fact
almost unavoidable, when the experimenter is confronted with thesystem of biological origin.
We usually assumed, in the earlier chapters, that the observer
knew, at each moment, just what state the system was in. It was
assumed, in other words, that at every moment his information
about the system was complete. There comes a stage, however, as
the system becomes larger and larger, when the reception of all
the information is impossible by reason of its sheer bulk. Either
the recording channels cannot carry all the information, or theobserver, presented with it all, is overwhelmed. When this occurs,
what is he to do? The answer is clear: he must give up any ambition to know the whole system. His aim must be to achieve a partial knowledge that, though partial over the whole, is none the lesscomplete within itself, and is sufficient for his ultimate practical
purpose.
These facts emphasise an important matter of principle in the
study of the very large system. Faced with such a system, theobserver must be cautious in referring to “the system”, for theterm will probably be ambiguous, perhaps highly so. “The system” may refer to the whole system quite apart from any observer
to study it— the thing as it is in itself; or it may refer to the set ofvariables (or states) with which some given observer is concerned. Though the former sounds more imposing philosophically, the practical worker inevitably finds the second more
important. Then the second meaning can itself be ambiguous if
the particular observer is not specified, for the system may be any
one of the many sub-machines provided by homomorphism. Why
all these meanings should be distinguished is because different
sub-machines can have different properties; so that although bothsub-machines may be abstracted from the same real “thing”, astatement that is true of one may be false of another.
It follows that there can be no such thing as the (unique) behaviour of a very large system, apart from a given observer. For there
can legitimately be as many sub-machines as observers, andtherefore as many behaviours, which may actually be so different
as to be incompatible if they occurred in one system. Thus the
5-state system with kinematic graph

THE BLACK BOX

sub-machine (with states r and s) given by the transformationh b j k l↓rs
has graph s → r, with one basin and no cycle. Both statements areequally true, and are compatible because they refer to different
systems (as defined in S.3/11).
The point of view taken here is that science (as represented by
the observer’s discoveries) is not immediately concerned withdiscovering what the system “really” is, but with co-ordinating
the various observers’ discoveries, each of which is only a portion, or an aspect, of the whole truth.
Were the engineer to treat bridgebuilding by a consideration of
every atom he would find the task impossible by its very size. He
therefore ignores the fact that his girders and blocks are reallycomposite, made of atoms, and treats them as his units. As it happens, the nature of girders permits this simplification, and theengineer’s work becomes a practical possibility. It will be seen
therefore that the method of studying very large systems by studying only carefully selected aspects of them is simply what isalways done in practice. Here we intend to follow the process
more rigorously and consciously.

has two basins, and always ends in a cycle. The homomorphic

6/15. The lattice. The various simplifications of a machine haveexact relations to one another Thus, the six forms of the system of
Ex. 6/13/2 are:(1) a, b, c, d(2) a + b, c, d(3) a, b, c + d(4) a + b, c + d(5) a, b + c + d(6) a + b + c + d
where, e.g. “a + b” means that a and b are no longer distinguished.
Now (4) can be obtained from (3) by a merging of a and b. But (5)cannot be obtained from (4) by a simple merging; for (5) uses a
distinction between a and b that has been lost in (4). Thus it issoon verified that simplification can give:from (1): all the other five,,, (2): (4) and (6),,, (3): (4), (5) and (6),,, (4): (6),,, (5): (6),,, (6): none.

106

107

h ←
→ k

m→ l ←→ j

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE BLACK BOX

The various simplifications are thus related as in the diagram, inwhich a descending line connects the simpler form (below) withthe form from which it can be directly obtained (above):

tem with a vast number of interacting parts, going through a tradecycle, to the simple form of two states:
Boom

1
2

3

4

5
6

This diagram is of a type known as a lattice—a structure muchstudied in modern mathematics. What is of interest in this Introduction is that this ordering makes precise many ideas about systems, ideas that have hitherto been considered only intuitively.
Every lattice has a single element at the top (like 1) and a single
element at the bottom (like 6). When the lattice represents the possible simplifications of a machine, the element at the top corresponds to the machine with every state distinguished; itcorresponds to the knowledge of the experimenter who takes noteof every distinction available in its states. The element at the bottom corresponds to a machine with every state merged; if thisstate is called Z the machine has as transformation only

↓ Z
Z

Slump

Thus, the various simplifications of a dynamic system canordered and related.
6/16. Models. We can now see much more clearly what is meantby a “model”. The subject was touched on in S.6/8, where threesystems were found to be isomorphic and therefore capable ofbeing used as representations of each other. The subject is someof importance to those who work with biological systems, for inmany cases the use of a model is helpful, either to help the worker
think about the subject or to act as a form of analogue computer.
The model will seldom be isomorphic with the biological system: usually it will be a homomorphism of it. But the model isitself seldom regarded in all its practical detail: usually it is only
some aspect of the model that is related to the biological system;
thus the tin mouse may be a satisfactory model of a living
mouse—provided one ignores the tinniness of the one and theproteinness of the other. Thus what usually happens is that the twosystems, biological and model, are so related that a homomorphism of the one is isomorphic with a homomorphism of theother. (This relation is symmetric, so either may justifiably be said
to be a “model” of the other.) The higher the homomorphisms areon their lattices, the better or more realistic will be the model.
At this point this Introduction must leave the subject of Homomorphisms. Enough has been said to show the foundations of thesubject and to indicate the main lines for its development. But
these developments belong to the future.

This transformation is closed, so something persists (S.10/4), andthe observer who sees only at this level of discrimination can sayof the machine: “it persists”, and can say no more. This persistence is, of course, the most rudimentary property of a machine,
distinguishing it from the merely evanescent. (The importance of“closure”, emphasised in the early chapters, can now be appreciated —it corresponds to the intuitive idea that, to be a machine, an
entity must at least persist.)
Between these extremes lie the various simplifications, in theirnatural and exact order. Near the top lie those that differ from thefull truth only in some trifling matter. Those that lie near the bottom are the simplifications of the grossest type. Near the bottom
lies such a simplification as would reduce a whole economic sys-

T HE VE RY L ARGE BOX
6/17. The previous sections have shown how the properties that areusually ascribed to machines can also be ascribed to Black Boxes.

108

109

Ex. 1: What would be the case when it was the two top-most elements of the twolattices that were isomorphic?
Ex. 2: To what degree is the Rock of Gibraltar a model of the brain?
Ex. 3: To what extent can the machinep q r↓ q r rprovide models for the system of Ex. 6/13/2?

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE BLACK BOX

We do in fact work, in our daily lives, much more with Black
Boxes than we are apt to think. At first we are apt to think, forinstance, that a bicycle is not a Black Box, for we can see every
connecting link. We delude ourselves, however. The ultimate links
between pedal and wheel are those interatomic forces that hold theparticles of metal together; of these we see nothing, and the child
who learns to ride can become competent merely with the knowledge that pressure on the pedals makes the wheels go round.
To emphasise that the theory of Black Boxes is practicallycoextensive with that of everyday life, let us notice that if a set ofBlack Boxes has been studied by an observer, he is in a position
to couple them together to form designed machinery. The method
is straightforward: as the examination of each Box has given its
canonical representation (S.6/5), so can they be coupled, inputs to
outputs, to form new systems exactly as described in S.4/8.
What is being suggested now is not that Black Boxes behave
somewhat like real objects but that the real objects are in fact all
Black Boxes, and that we have in fact been operating with Black
Boxes all our lives. The theory of the Black Box is merely the theory of real objects or systems, when close attention is given to thequestion, relating object and observer, about what information
comes from the object, and how it is obtained. Thus the theory of
the Black Box is simply the study of the relations between theexperimenter and his environment, when special attention is given
to the flow of information. “A study of the real world thus
becomes a study of transducers.” (Goldman, Information theory.)(2) Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen are all practically tasteless, yet
the particular compound “sugar” has a characteristic taste possessed by none of them.
(3) The twenty (or so) amino-acids in a bacterium have none ofthem the property of being “self-reproducing”, yet the whole, withsome other substances, has this property.

6/18. Before we go further, the question of “emergent” properties
should be clarified.
First let one fact be established. If a number of Black Boxes are
given, and each is studied in isolation until its canonical representation is established, and if they are coupled in a known pattern by
known linkages, then it follows (S.4/8) that the behaviour of thewhole is determinate, and can be predicted. Thus an assembly ofBlack Boxes, in these conditions, will show no “emergent” properties; i.e. no properties that could not have been predicted fromknowledge of the parts and their couplings.
The concept of “emergence” has never been defined with precision, but the following examples will probably suffice as a basis
for discussion:(1) Ammonia is a gas, and so is hydrogen chloride. When thetwo gases are mixed, the result is a solid—a property not possessed by either reactant.

If these examples are compared in detail with the processes ofstudy and coupling of Black Boxes, it is soon seen that the examples postulate much less knowledge of their parts than is postulated of the Black Boxes. Thus the prediction in regard toammonia and hydrogen chloride is based on no more knowledgeof each substance than that it is a gas. Similarly, of the twenty
amino-acids all that is asked is “is it self- reproducing?” Wereeach amino-acid treated as a Black Box the examination would be
far more searching. The input to a molecule is the set of electricaland mechanical forces, in all distributions and combinations, that
can affect it; and its output is the set of all states, electrical andmechanical, that it can be in. Were this complete knowledge
available, then the method of S.4/8 shows how the behaviour ofmany coupled amino-acids could be predicted; and among thepredicted behaviours would be that of self-reproduction of thewhole.
It will be seen that prediction of the whole’s behaviour can bebased on complete or on incomplete knowledge of the parts. If theknowledge is complete, then the case is that of the Black Box
whose canonical representation is known, the inputs or circumstances being all those that may be given by the other Boxes towhich it is to be coupled. When the knowledge of the parts is socomplete, the prediction can also be complete, and no extra properties can emerge.
Often, however, the knowledge is not, for whatever reason,complete. Then the prediction has to be undertaken on incomplete
knowledge, and may prove mistaken. Sometimes all that is knownof the parts is that every one has a certain characteristic. Theremay be no better way of predicting than to use simple extrapolation —to predict that the whole will have it. Sometimes thisproves justified; thus, if a whole is of three parts, each of pure copper, then we shall be correct if we predict that the whole is of purecopper. But often the method fails, and a new property can, if weplease, be said to “emerge”.
It does in fact very commonly happen that when the system
becomes large, so that the range of size from part to whole is verylarge, the properties of the whole are very different from those of

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THE BLACK BOX

the parts. Biological systems are thus particularly likely to show
the difference. We must therefore be on guard against expecting
the properties of the whole to reproduce the properties of the parts,and vice versa.
The examples of ammonium chloride and sugar mentioned
above are simple examples, but more complex cases occur. Consider, for instance, the concept of “localisation” of some function
in a system. It may well happen that the view taken when the matter is examined in the small is quite different from that taken in thelarge. Thus suppose it is asked whether the brewing industry inEngland is localised. The Exciseman, knowing of every buildingin his district whether it is or is not part of the brewing trade, will
say that brewing is undoubtedly “localised”. On the other hand,
the map-maker of England, being unable to mark any particularcounty as being the seat of brewing, will say that it is not localised. Each, of course, is correct. What allows the contradiction isthat when the range of size is great, what is true at one end of thescale may be false at the other.
Another example showing how contradictory may be the properties in the small and the large is given by an ordinary piece of elastic. For years physical chemists searched for what made themolecule contractile. They have since discovered that they weremaking exactly the mistake that this section is attempting to prevent. It is now known that the rubber molecule has no inherent contractility: stretch one out and let it go, and nothing happens! Why
then does rubber contract ? The point is that “stretching rubber” is
not “stretching one…”; the molecules, when there are more thanone, jostle each other and thereby force the majority to take lengths
less than their maxima. The result is that a shortening occurs, just as
if, on a crowded beach, a rope fifty feet long is drawn out straight:
after a few minutes the ends will be less than fifty feet apart!
Further examples are hardly necessary, for the point to be madeis the merely negative one that in a large system there is no a priori
necessity for the properties of the whole to be a simple copy of
those of the parts. (S.7/3 adds some further examples.)although the Newtonian theory has, in principle, solved all gravitational problems, yet its application to three bodies is most complex, and its application to half a dozen is prohibitively laborious.
Yet astrophysicists want to ask questions about the behaviour ofstar clusters with 20,000 members! What is to be done?
Experience has shown that in such cases the scientist must bevery careful about what questions he asks. He must ask for what
he really wants to know, and not for what he thinks he wants. Thus
the beginner will say simply that he wants to know what the cluster will do, i.e. he wants the trajectories of the components. If thisknowledge, however, could be given to him, it would take theform of many volumes filled with numerical tables, and he would
then realise that he did not really want all that. In fact, it usually
happens that the significant question is something simple, such as“will the cluster contract to a ball, or will it spread out into a disc?”
The physicists, led originally by Poincare, have now a welldeveloped method for dealing with such matters—that of topology. By its means, unambiguous answers can be given to simple
questions, so that the intricacies that would overwhelm theobserver are never encountered.
A similar method, applied to complicated differential equations, enables the main important features of the solutions to be
deduced in cases where the full solutions would be unmanageablycomplicated. This is the so-called “stability” theory of these equations.
What is important for us here is that these methods exist. Theysuggest that if a Black Box (such as a brain) has far too many variables for a study in every detail to be practical then it should bepossible for the cybernetically-minded psychologist to devise a“topological” approach that shall enable him to get what information he really wants (not what he thinks he wants!) without his
being overwhelmed with useless detail. Lewin attempted such a
psychology; but in the '30s topology was not yet developed to bea useful tool. In the '50s, however, it is much better developed,
especially in the form published under the pseudonym of Nicholas
Bourbaki, by the French School. At last we have before us thepossibility of a psychology that shall be at once rigorous and practical.

6/19. As the system becomes larger, so does the fundamental
method of study (S.6/3) become more laborious in application.
Eventually the amount of labour necessary becomes prohibitive.
What then is the observer to do? The question is of great importance in the biological sciences, whether zoological or sociological, for the size and complexity of the systems is great indeed.
The same difficulty has occurred in other sciences. Thus
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T H E I NCOMP L E T E L Y OBS E RVABL E BOX
6/20. So far, in this chapter, we have assumed that the observer ofthe Black Box has the necessary means for observing all that pertains to the Box’s state, so that he is like a Ship’s Engineer (S.6/2)
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THE BLACK BOX

who faces a complete set of dials. Often, however, this is not so—some of the dials are hidden, or missing—and an important part ofBlack Box theory is concerned with making clear what peculiarities appear when the observer can observe only certain components of the whole state.
The theoretical developments are large, and little explored.
They will almost certainly be of importance in psychology; for, tothe psychologist, the individual subject, whether a neurotic person
or a rat in a maze, is largely a system that is not wholly observable; for the events in the subject’s brain are not directly observable
at the clinical or experimental session.
It should be noticed that as soon as some of a system’s variables
become unobservable, the “system” represented by the remainder
may develop remarkable, even miraculous, properties. A commonplace illustration is given by conjuring, which achieves(apparently) the miraculous, simply because not all the significant
variables are observable. It is possible that some of the brain’s“miraculous” properties—of showing “foresight”, “intelligence”,
etc.—are miraculous only because we have not so far been able toobserve the events in all the significant variables.

Observer One can see, like us, the values of both A and Z. He
studies the various combinations that may lead to the appearanceof B, and he reports that B appears whenever the whole shows astate with Z at y and the input at a. Thus, given that the input is ata, he relates the occurrence of B to whether Z is at y now.
Observer Two is handicapped—he can see only I and A, not Z.
He will find that knowledge of A’s state and of I’s state is not sufficient to enable him to predict reliably whether B will be shown;(for sometimes Z will be at y and sometimes at some other state).
If however Two turns his attention to earlier events at I he finds
he can predict B’s appearance accurately. For if I has in succession the values µ, α then behaviour B will appear, and not otherwise. Thus, given that the input is at α, he relates the occurrenceof B to whether I did have the value µ earlier.
Thus Two, being unable to observe Z directly, can none the lessmake the whole predictable by taking into account earlier valuesof what he can observe. The reason is, the existence of the correspondence:

6/21. As an example of the profound change that may occur in theobserver’s opinion about a mechanism if part of it becomes inaccessible to direct observation, consider the following example.
The observer is assumed to be studying a Black Box which consists of two interacting parts, A and Z. Both are affected by thecommon input I. (Notice that A’s inputs are I and Z.)

Suppose that Z is at state y only after I has had the special value µ.
We (author and reader) are omniscient, for we know everything
about the system. Let us, using full knowledge, see how two
observers (One and Two) could come to different opinions if they
had different powers of observation.

As this correspondence is one-one, information about I’s state a stepearlier and information about Z’s state now are equivalent, and eachcan substitute for the other; for to know one is to know the other.
If One and Two are quarrelsome, they can now fall into a dispute. One can maintain that the system shows no “memory”, i.e.
its behaviour requires no reference to the past, because the appearance of behaviour B can be fully accounted for by the system’spresent state (at I, A and Z). Two can deny this, and can point out
that the system of I and A can be shown as determinate only whenpast values of I are taken into account, i.e. when some form of“memory” is appealed to.
Clearly, we need not take sides. One and Two are talking of different systems (of I + A + Z or of I + A), so it is not surprising thatthey can make differing statements. What we must notice here isthat Two is using the appeal to “memory” as a substitute for his
inability to observe Z.
Thus we obtain the general rule: If a determinate system is only
partly observable, and thereby becomes ( for that observer) notpredictable, the observer may be able to restore predictability bytaking the system’s past history into account, i.e. by assuming theexistence within it of some form of “memory”.
The argument is clearly general, and can be applied equally

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115

A
↓↑
Z

I

Suppose the important question is whether the part A does or does
not show some characteristic behaviour B (i.e. follow trajectoryB). Suppose this is shown (followed) only on the simultaneous
occurrence of(1) I at state αand (2) Z at state y.

I at µ earlier ↔ Z at y now
I not at µ earlier ↔ Z not at y now.

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THE BLACK BOX

well if the special, earlier, event (µ) occurred not one step earlier,but many. Thus in general, if earlier events E1, E2, . . ., Ek leave
traces T1, T2, . . ., Tk respectively, which persist; and if later theremainder of the system produces behaviours B1, B2, . . ., Bk corresponding to the value of T, then the various behaviours may berelated to, or explained by, either(1) the present value of T, in which case there is no need for the
invocation of any “memory”, or(2) the past value of E, in which case the observer is compelled
to postulate some form of “memory” in the system.

that it carries a + now is sufficient to allow prediction that themachine’s next state will be a 1.
On the other hand, an observer who cannot observe the tape canpredict its behaviour only by reference to what was done to theswitch ten minutes ago. He will insist that the machine has “memory”.
The two observers are not really in conflict, as we can see atonce when we realise that they are talking of two “machines” thatare not identical. To the first observer, “the machine” means “calculator + tape + switch”; to the second it means “calculator +switch”. They are talking about different systems. (Again it must
be emphasised that in complex systems a mere reference to thematerial object is often not sufficient to define adequately the system under discussion.) (Compare S.6/14, 12/9.)
Essentially the same difference can occur in a more biologicalsystem. Thus, suppose I am in a friend’s house and, as a car goespast outside, his dog rushes to a corner of the room and cringes.
To me the behaviour is causeless and inexplicable. Then myfriend says, “He was run over by a car six months ago.” Thebehaviour is now accounted for by reference to an event of six
months ago. If we say that the dog shows “memory” we refer tomuch the same fact—that his behaviour can be explained, not byreference to his state now but to what his state was six months ago.
If one is not careful one says that the dog “has” memory, and thenthinks of the dog as having something, as he might have a patchof black hair. One may then be tempted to start looking for thething; and one may discover that this “thing” has some very curious properties.
Clearly, “memory” is not an objective something that a systemeither does or does not possess; it is a concept that the observer
invokes to fill in the gap caused when part of the system is unobservable. The fewer the observable variables, the more will theobserver be forced to regard events of the past as playing a part in
the system’s behaviour. Thus “memory” in the brain is only partly
objective. No wonder its properties have sometimes been found to
be unusual or even paradoxical. Clearly the subject requires thorough re-examination from first principles.

Thus the possession of “memory” is not a wholly objective property of a system—it is a relation between a system and an observer;
and the property will alter with variations in the channel of communication between them.
Thus to invoke “memory” in a system as an explanation of its
behaviour is equivalent to declaring that one cannot observe thesystem completely. The properties of “memory” are not those of
the simple “thing” but the more subtle “coding”.
*Ex. 1: Prove the statement (Design. . S.19/22) that in an absolute system we can
avoid direct reference to some of the variables provided we use derivativesof the remaining variables to replace them.
*Ex. 2: Prove the same statement about equations in finite differences.
*Ex. 3: Show that if the system has n degrees of freedom we must, in general,
always have at least n observations, each of the type “at time t1 variable xi
had value Xi” if the subsequent behaviour is to be predictable.

6/22. A clear example showing how the presence of “memory” isrelated to the observability of a part is given by the digital calculator with a magnetic tape. Suppose, for simplicity, that at a certain moment the calculator will produce a 1 or a 2 according towhether the tape, at a certain point, is magnetised + or—, respectively; the act of magnetisation occurred, say, ten minutes ago,
and whether it was magnetised + or—depended on whether theoperator did or did not, respectively, close a switch. There is thus
the correspondence:switch closed ↔+↔1switch open ↔–↔2
An observer who can see the magnetic tape now can argue thatany reference to the past is unnecessary, for he can account for themachine’s behaviour (i.e. whether it will produce a 1 or a 2) by its
state now, by examining what the tape carries now. Thus to know
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PART TWO
VARI E T Y
Now the soldier realised what a capital tinder-box thiswas. If he struck it once, the dog came who sat upon thechest of copper money, if he struck it twice, the dog came
who had the silver; and if he struck it three times, thenappeared the dog who had the gold.
(“The Tinder-Box”)

QUANTITY OF VARIETY

7

Chapter

Q UANT IT Y OF VAR IE T Y
7/1. In Part I we considered the main properties of the machine
usually with the assumption that we had before us the actual thing
about which we would make some definite statement, with reference to what it is doing here and now. To progress in cybernetics
however, we shall have to extend our range of consideration. The
fundamental questions in regulation and control can be answered
only when we are able to consider the broader set of what it mightdo, when “might” is given some exact specification.
Throughout Part II, therefore, we shall be considering always aset of possibilities. The study will lead us into the subjects c information and communication, and how they are coded in their passages through mechanism. This study is essential for the thoroughunderstanding of regulation and control. We shall start from themost elementary or basic considerations possible.
7/2. A second reason for considering a set of possibilities is thescience is little interested in some fact that is valid only for a single experiment, conducted on a single day; it seeks always forgeneralisations, statements that shall be true for all of a set ofexperiment; conducted in a variety of laboratories and on a varietyof occasions. Galileo’s discovery of the law of the pendulum
would have been a little interest had it been valid only for that
pendulum on that afternoon. Its great importance is due precisely
to the fact that it is true over a great range of space and time andmaterials. Science looks for the repetitive (S.7/15).
7/3. This fact, that it is the set that science refers to, is often
obscured by a manner of speech. “The chloride ion ...”, says thelecturer, when clearly he means his statement to apply to all chloride ions. So we get references to the petrol engine, the growing
child the chronic drunkard, and to other objects in the singular,when the reference is in fact to the set of all such objects.
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Sometimes it happens that a statement is equally true of theindividual and the set: “the elephant eats with its trunk”, forinstance. But the commonness of such a double application
should not make us overlook the fact that some types of statement
are applicable only to the set (or only to the individual) andbecome misleading and a source of confusion if applied to theother. Thus a gramme of hot hydrogen iodide gas, at some particular moment, may well be 37 per cent ionised; yet this statement
must not be applied to the individual molecules, which are alleither wholly ionised or not at all; what is true of the set is false of
the individuals. Again, the Conservative M.P.s have, at the
moment, a majority in Parliament; the statement is meaningless if
applied to an individual member. Again, a tyre on a motor-car
may well be travelling due west at 50 m.p.h. when considered asa whole; yet the portion in contact with the road is motionless, thatat the top is travelling due west at 100 m.p.h., and in fact not a single particle in the tyre is behaving as the whole is behaving.
Again, twenty million women may well have thirty million
children, but only by a dangerous distortion of language can we
say that Mrs. Everyman has one and a half children. The statement
can sometimes be made without confusion only because those
who have to take action, those who have to provide schools for thechildren, for instance, know that the half-child is not a freak but a
set of ten million children.
Let us then accept it as basic that a statement about a set may beeither true or false (or perhaps meaningless) if applied to the elements in the set.

the set, but has little meaning for any individual, each of whom
either is or is not married. Examine each man as closely as you
please, you will find nothing of “0.82” about him; and if he moves
to another village this figure may change to another without his
having changed at all. Evidently, the “0.82” is a property of thevillage, not of the individual.
Nevertheless, it is sometimes found convenient to pretend thatthe fraction has a meaning for the individual, and it may be said
that any one person has a “probability” 0.82 of being married.
This form of words is harmless provided it is borne in mind thatthe statement, in spite of its apparent reference to the individual,
is really a statement about the village. Let this be forgotten and ahost of “paradoxes” arise, as meaningless and silly as that of
attempting to teach the “half”-child. Later (in Chapter 9) we shallhave to use the concept of probability in conjunction with that ofmachine; the origin and real nature of the concept should be bornein mind perpetually.

7/4. Probability. The exercise just given illustrates the confusion
and nonsense that can occur when a concept that belongs properly
to the set (or individual) is improperly applied to the other. An
outstanding example of this occurs when, of the whole set, somefraction of the set has a particular property. Thus, of 100 men in avillage 82 may be married. The fraction 0.82 is clearly relevant to

7/5. Communication. Another subject in which the concept of aset plays an essential part is that of “communication”, especiallyin the theory developed by Shannon and Wiener. At first, when
one thinks of, say, a telegram arriving, one notices only the singleness of one telegram. Nevertheless, the act of “communication” necessarily implies the existence of a set of possibilities, i.e.
more than one, as the following example will show.
A prisoner is to be visited by his wife, who is not to be allowed
to send him any message however simple. It is understood thatthey may have agreed, before his capture, on some simple code.
At her visit, she asks to be allowed to send him a cup of coffee;
assuming the beverage is not forbidden, how is the warder toensure that no coded message is transmitted by it? He knows that
she is anxious to let her husband know whether or not a confederate has yet been caught.
The warder will cogitate with reasonings that will go somewhat
as follows: “She might have arranged to let him know by whether
the coffee goes in sweetened or not—I can stop that simply byadding lots of sugar and then telling him I have done so. She might
have arranged to let him know by whether or not she sends aspoon—I can stop that by taking away any spoon and then telling
him that Regulations forbid a spoon anyway. She might do it bysending tea rather than coffee—no, that’s stopped because, as
they know, the canteen will only supply coffee at this time ofday.” So his cogitations go on; what is noteworthy is that at each

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123

Ex.: The following statements apply to “The Cat”, either to the species Felis
domestica or to the cat next door. Consider the applicability of each statement to (i) the species, (ii) the individual:
1. It is a million years old,
2. It is male,
3. Today it is in every continent,
4. It fights its brothers,
5. About a half of it is female,
6. It is closely related to the Ursidae.

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QUANTITY OF VARIETY

possibility he intuitively attempts to stop the communication by
enforcing a reduction of the possibilities to one—always sweetened, never a spoon, coffee only, and so on. As soon as the possibilities shrink to one, so soon is communication blocked, and thebeverage robbed of its power of transmitting information. The
transmission (and storage) of information is thus essentiallyrelated to the existence of a set of possibilities. The example may
make this statement plausible; in fact it is also supported by all thework in the modern theory of communication, which has shown
abundantly how essential, and how fruitful, is the concept of theset of possibilities.
Communication thus necessarily demands a set of messages.
Not only is this so, but the information carried by a particular message depends on the set it comes from. The information conveyed
is not an intrinsic property of the individual message. That this isso can be seen by considering the following example. Two soldiers are taken prisoner by two enemy countries A and B, one byeach; and their two wives later each receive the brief message “I
am well”. It is known, however, that country A allows the prisoner a choice fromI am well,I am slightly ill,
I am seriously ill,

which contains twelve elements, contains only three distinct elements —a, b and c. Such a set will be said to have a variety of
three elements. (A qualification is added in the next section.)
Though this counting may seem simple, care is needed. Thus
the two-armed semaphore can place each arm, independently ofthe other, in any of eight positions; so the two arms provide 64
combinations. At a distance, however, the arms have no individuality—“arm A up and arm B down” cannot be distinguished from“arm A down and arm B up”—so to the distant observer only 36
positions can be distinguished, and the variety is 36, not 64. It will
be noticed that a set’s variety is not an intrinsic property of the set:
the observer and his powers of discrimination may have to be
specified if the variety is to be well defined.

while country B allows only the message
I am wellmeaning “I am alive”. (Also in the set is the possibility of “nomessage”.) The two wives will certainly be aware that thougheach has received the same phrase, the informations that they havereceived are by no means identical.
From these considerations it follows that, in this book, we must
give up thinking, as we do as individuals, about “this message”.
We must become scientists, detach ourselves, and think about“people receiving messages”. And this means that we must turn
our attention from any individual message to the set of all the possibilities.
V A RI ETY
7/6. Throughout this Part we shall be much concerned with thequestion, given a set, of how many distinguishable elements it
contains. Thus, if the order of occurrence is ignored, the set
c, b, c, a, c, c, a, b, c, b, b, a
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Ex. 1: With 26 letters to choose from, how many 3-letter combinations are available for motor registration numbers ?
Ex. 2: If a farmer can distinguish 8 breeds of chicks, but cannot sex them, while
his wife can sex them but knows nothing of breeds, how many distinct
classes of chicks can they distinguish when working together?
Ex. 3: A spy in a house with four windows arranged rectangularly is to signal out
to sea at night by each window showing, or not showing, a light. How many
forms can be shown if, in the darkness, the position of the lights relative tothe house cannot be perceived ?
Ex. 4: Bacteria of different species differ in their ability to metabolise various
substances: thus lactose is destroyed by E. cold but not by E. typhi. If a bacteriologist has available ten substances, each of which may be destroyed or
not by a given species, what is the maximal number of species that he candistinguish ?
Ex. 5: If each Personality Test can distinguish five grades of its own characteristic, what is the least number of such tests necessary to distinguish the
2,000,000,000 individuals of the world’s population?
Ex. 6: In a well-known card trick, the conjurer identifies a card thus: He shows
21 cards to a by-stander, who selects, mentally, one of them without revealing his choice. The conjurer then deals the 21 cards face upwards into threeequal heaps, with the by-stander seeing the faces, and asks him to say whichheap contains the selected card. He then takes up the cards, again deals theminto three equal heaps, and again asks which heap contains the selected card,and similarly for a third deal. The conjurer then names the selected card.
What variety is there in (i) the by-stander’s indications, (ii) the conjurer’s
final selection ?
Ex. 7: (Continued.) 21 cards is not, in fact, the maximal number that could be
used. What is the maximum, if the other conditions are unaltered?
Ex. 8: (Continued.) How many times would the by-stander have to indicate
which of three heaps held the selected card if the conjurer were finally to beable to identify the correct card out of the full pack of 52?
Ex. 9: If a child’s blood group is O and its mother’s group is 0, how much variety
is there in the groups of its possible fathers?

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7/7. It will have been noticed that many of the exercises involved
the finding of products and high powers. Such computations areoften made easier by the use of logarithms. It is assumed that thereader is familiar with their basic properties, but one formula will
be given for reference. If only logarithms to base a are available
and we want to find the logarithm to the base b of some number
N, thenlog aNlog bN = --------------log ab

Ex. 8: (Continued.) If the closed transformation had n states what variety isthere?
Ex. 9: If the English vocabulary has variety of 10 bits per word, what is the storage capacity of 10 minutes, speech on a gramophone record, assuming the
speech is at 120 words per minute?
Ex. 10: (Continued.) How does this compare with the capacity of a printed pageof newspaper (approximately)?
Ex. 11: (Continued.) If a pamphlet takes 10 minutes to be read aloud, how does
its variety compare with that of the gramophone record?
Ex. 12: What set is the previous Ex. referring to?
Ex. 13: Can a merely negative event—a light not being lit, a neuron not being
excited, a telegram not arriving—be used as a contribution to variety ?

In particular, log2N = 3.322 log10N.
The word variety, in relation to a set of distinguishable elements, will be used to mean either (i) the number of distinct elements, or (ii) the logarithm to the base 2 of the number, thecontext indicating the sense used. When variety is measured in thelogarithmic form its unit is the “bit”, a contraction of “BInary
digiT”. Thus the variety of the sexes is 1 bit, and the variety of the
52 playing cards is 5.7 bits, because log2 52 = 3.322 log1052 =3.322 x 1.7160 = 5.7. The chief advantage of this way of reckoning is that multiplicative combinations now combine by simple
addition. Thus in Ex. 7/6/2 the farmer can distinguish a variety of
3 bits, his wife 1 bit, and the two together 3 + 1 bits, i.e. 4 bits.
To say that a set has “no” variety, that the elements are all of
one type, is, of course, to measure the variety logarithmically; forthe logarithm of 1 is 0.
Ex. 1: In Ex. 7/6/4 how much variety, in bits, does each substance distinguish?
Ex. 2: In Ex. 7/6/s: (i) how much variety in bits does each test distinguish? (ii)
What is the variety in bits of 2,000,000,000 distinguishable individuals?
From these two varieties check your previous answer.
Ex. 3: What is the variety in bits of the 26 letters of the alphabet?
Ex. 4: (Continued.) What is the variety, in bits, of a block of five letters (notrestricted to forming a word) ? Check the answer by finding the number ofsuch blocks, and then the variety.
Ex. 5: A question can be answered only by Yes or No; (i) what variety is in theanswer? (ii) In twenty such answers made independently?
Ex. 6: (Continued.) How many objects can be distinguished by twenty questions,each of which can be answered only by Yes or No ?
Ex. 7: A closed and single-valued transformation is to be considered on six
states:a b c d e f↓ ? ? ? ? ? ?
in which each question mark has to be replaced by a letter. If the replacements are otherwise unrestricted, what variety (logarithmic) is there in theset of all possible such transformations ?

126

CONS T RAI NT
7/8. A most important concept, with which we shall be much concerned later, is that of constraint. It is a relation between two sets,
and occurs when the variety that exists under one condition is lessthan the variety that exists under another. Thus, the variety in thehuman sexes is I bit; if a certain school takes only boys, the variety
in the sexes within the school is zero; so as 0 is less than 1, constraint exists.
Another well-known example is given by the British traffic
lights, which have three lamps and which go through the sequence(where “+” means lit and “1” unlit):
Red:
Yellow:
Green:(1) (2) (3) (4) (1) …
+ +
0
0
+ …
0
+
0
+
0 …
0
0
+
0
0 …

Four combinations are thus used. It will be noticed that Red is, atvarious times, both lit and unlit; so is Yellow; and so is Green. So
if the three lights could vary independently, eight combinations
could appear. In fact, only four are used; so as four is less thaneight, constraint is present.
7/9. A constraint may be slight or severe. Suppose, for instance,that a squad of soldiers is to be drawn up in a single rank, and that“independence” means that they may stand in any order theyplease. Various constraints might be placed on the order of standing, and these constraints may differ in their degree of restriction.
Thus, if the order were given that no man may stand next a man
whose birthday falls on the same day, the constraint would beslight, for of all the possible arrangements few would be
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excluded. If, however, the order were given that no man was tostand at the left of a man who was taller than himself, the constraint would be severe; for it would, in fact, allow only one orderof standing (unless two men were of exactly the same height). The
intensity of the constraint is thus shown by the reduction it causesin the number of possible arrangements.

defined set of cars, then the three components would be said to be“independent”, or to “vary independently”, within this defined set.
It should be noticed that such a statement refers essentially towhat is observed to occur within the set; it need contain no reference to any supposed cause for the independence (or for the constraint).

7/10. It seems that constraints cannot be classified in any simple
way, for they include all cases in which a set, for any reason, issmaller than it might be. Here I can discuss only certain types ofoutstanding commonness and importance, leaving the reader to
add further types if his special interests should lead him to them.

Ex. 1: When Pantagruel and his circle debated whether or not the time had comefor Panurge to marry, they took advisers, who were introduced thus: “...
Rondibilis, is married now, who before was not—Hippothadeus was not
before, nor is yet—Bridlegoose was married once, but is not now—andTrouillogan is married now, who wedded was to another wife before.” Does
this set of vectors show constraint ?
Ex. 2: If each component can be Head (H) or Tail (T), does the set of four vectors(H,H,H), (T,T,H), (H,T,T), (T,H,T) show constraint in relation to the set
showing independence ?

7/11. Constrain in vectors. Sometimes the elements of a set arevectors, and have components. Thus the traffic signal of S.7/8 wasa vector of three components, each of which could take two values.
In such cases a common and important constraint occurs if theactual number of vectors that occurs under defined conditions is
fewer than the total number of vectors possible without conditions(i.e. when each component takes its full range of values independently of the values taken by the other components). Thus, in thecase of the traffic lights, when Red and Yellow are both lit, only
Green unlit occurs, the vector with Green lit being absent.
It should be noticed that a set of vectors provides several varieties, which must be identified individually if confusion is not to
occur. Consider, for instance, the vector of S.3/5:(Age of car, Horse-power, Colour).
The first component will have some definite variety, and so will
the second component, and the third. The three varieties need not
be equal. And the variety in the set of vectors will be different
again.
The variety in the set of vectors has, however, one invariable
relation to the varieties of the components—it cannot exceed theirsum (if we think in logarithms, as is more convenient here). Thus,
if a car may have any one of 10 ages, of 8 horse-powers, and of 12
colours, then the variety in the types of car cannot exceed 3.3 +3.0 + 3.6 bits, i.e. 9.9 bits.

7/13. Degrees of freedom. When a set of vectors does not show thefull range of possibilities made available by the components (S.7/
11), the range that remains can sometimes usefully be measured
by saying how many components with independence would givethe same variety. This number of components is called the degrees
of freedom of the set of vectors. Thus the traffic lights (S.7/8)
show a variety of four. If the components continued to have twostates apiece, two components with independence could give thesame variety (of four). So the constraint on the lights can be
expressed by saying that the three components, not independent,
give the same variety as two would if independent; i.e. the threelights have two degrees of freedom.
If all combinations are possible, then the number of degrees of
freedom is equal to the number of components. If only one combination is possible, the degrees of freedom are zero.
It will be appreciated that this way of measuring what is left freeof constraint is applicable only in certain favourable cases. Thus,
were the traffic lights to show three, or five combinations, theequivalence would no longer be representable by a simple, whole,number. The concept is of importance chiefly when the components vary continuously, so that each has available an infinite
number of values. A reckoning by degrees of freedom may thenstill be possible, though the states cannot be counted.

7/12. The components are independent when the variety in thewhole of some given set of vectors equals the sum of the (logarithmic) varieties in the individual components. If it were found, forinstance, that all 960 types of car could be observed within someEx. 1: If a dealer in second-hand cars boasts that his stock covers a range of 10ages, 8 horse powers, and 12 colours, in all combinations, how many degrees
of freedom has his stock ?
Ex. 2: The angular positions of the two hands on a clock are the two components
of a vector. Has the set of vectors (in ordinary working round the 12 hours)
a constraint if the angles are measured precisely?

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Ex. 3: (Continued.) How many degrees of freedom has the vector? (Hint: Would
removal of the minute-hand cause an essential loss ?)Ex. 4: As the two eyes move, pointing the axes in various directions, they definea vector with four components: the upward and lateral deviations of the rightand left eyes. Man has binocular vision; the chameleon moves his two eyes
independently, each side searching for food on its own side of the body. How
many degrees of freedom have the chameleonts eyes ? Man’s ?
Ex. 5: An arrow, of fixed length, lying in a plane, has three degrees of freedom
for position (for two co-ordinates will fix the position of its centre, say, andthen one angle will determine its direction). How many degrees of freedom
has it if we add the restriction that it must always point in the direction of agiven point P?
Ex. 6: T is a given closed and single-valued transformation, and a any of its operands. Consider the set of vectors, each of three components,(a, T(a), T2(a)),
with a given all its possible values in turn. How many degrees of freedom
has the set ?
Ex. 7: In what way does the ordinary graph, of y on x, show constraint ?
Ex. 8: How many degrees of freedom has an ordinary body—a chair say—in
three dimensional space?

Science looks for laws; it is therefore much concerned withlooking for constraints. (Here the larger set is composed of whatmight happen if the behaviour were free and chaotic, and thesmaller set is composed of what does actually happen.)
This point of view, it will be noticed, conforms to what was saidin S.1/5. Cybernetics looks at the totality, in all its possible richness, and then asks why the actualities should be restricted tosome portion of the total possibilities.

I M P O R TA N C E O F C O N ST R A IN T
7/14. Constraints are of high importance in cybernetics, and will
be given prominence through the remainder of this book, because
when a constraint exists advantage can usually be taken of it.
Shannon’s work, discussed chiefly in Chapter 9, displays thisthesis clearly. Most of it is directed to estimating the variety thatwould exist if full independence occurred, showing that constraints (there called “redundancy”) exist, and showing how their
existence makes possible a more efficient use of the channel.
The next few sections will also show something of the wide
applicability and great importance of the concept.
7/15. Laws of Nature. First we can notice that the existence of any
invariant over a set of phenomena implies a constraint, for its existence implies that the full range of variety does not occur. The general theory of invariants is thus a part of the theory of constraints.
Further, as every law of nature implies the existence of aninvariant, it follows that every law of nature is a constraint. Thus,
the Newtonian law says that, of the vectors of planetary positionsand velocities which might occur, e.g. written on paper (the largerset), only a smaller set will actually occur in the heavens; and thelaw specifies what values the elements will have. From our pointof view, what is important is that the law excludes many positionsand velocities, predicting that they will never be found to occur.
130

Ex. 1: How is the chemist’s Law of Simple Proportions a constraint?
Ex. 2: How is the Law of Conservation of Energy a constraint?

7/16. Object as constraint. Constraints are exceedingly common
in the world around us, and many of our basic concepts make useof it in an essential way. Consider as example the basic concept ofa “thing” or “object”, as something handled in daily life. A chairis a thing because it has coherence, because we can put it on thisside of a table or that, because we can carry it around or sit on it.
The chair is also a collection of parts.
Now any free object in our three dimensional world has six
degrees of freedom for movement. Were the parts of the chair
unconnected each would have its own six degrees of freedom; andthis is in fact the amount of mobility available to the parts in theworkshop before they are assembled. Thus the four legs, whenseparate, have 24 degrees of freedom. After they are joined, however, they have only the six degrees of freedom of the single
object. That there is a constraint is obvious when one realises that
if the positions of three legs of an assembled chair are known, thenthat of the fourth follows necessarily—it has no freedom.
Thus the change from four separate and free legs to one chaircorresponds precisely to the change from the set’s having 24
degrees of freedom to its having only 6. Thus the essence of thechair’s being a “thing”, a unity, rather than a collection of independent parts corresponds to the presence of the constraint.
7/17. Seen from this point of view, the world around us isextremely rich in constraints. We are so familiar with them that
we take most of them for granted, and are often not even awarethat they exist. To see what the world would be like without its
usual constraints we have to turn to fairy tales or to a “crazy” film,and even these remove only a fraction of all the constraints.
A world without constraints would be totally chaotic. The turbulent river below Niagara might be such a world (though the131A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

QUANTITY OF VARIETY

physicist would still find some constraint here). Our terrestrial
world, to which the living organism is adapted, is far from presenting such a chaos. Later (S.13/5) it will be suggested that theorganism can adapt just so far as the real world is constrained, andno further.

7/20. Within the set of determinate machines further constraints
may be applied. Thus the set can be restricted to those that have acertain set of states as operands, or to those that have only one
basin, or to those that are not reducible.
A common and very powerful constraint is that of continuity. It
is a constraint because whereas the function that changes arbitrarily can undergo any change, the continuous function can change,at each step, only to a neighbouring value. Exercise 4 gives but afeeble impression of the severity of this constraint.

Ex.: Attempt to count, during the next one minute, all the constraints that areoperating in your surroundings.

7/18. Prediction and constraint. That something is “predictable”
implies that there exists a constraint. If an aircraft, for instance,
were able to move, second by second, from any one point in thesky to any other point, then the best anti-aircraft prediction would
be helpless and useless. The latter can give useful information only
because an aircraft cannot so move, but must move subject to several constraints. There is that due to continuity—an aircraft cannot
suddenly jump, either in position or speed or direction. There is theconstraint due to the aircraft’s individuality of design, whichmakes this aircraft behave like an A-10 and that one behave like a
Z-20. There is the constraint due to the pilot’s individuality; and soon. An aircraft’s future position is thus always somewhat constrained, and it is to just this extent that a predictor can be useful.
7/19. Machine as constraint. It will now be appreciated that theconcept of a “machine“, as developed from the inspection of a
protocol (S.6/5), comes from recognising that the sequence in the
protocol shows a particular form of constraint. Were the protocol
to show no constraint, the observer would say it was chaotic or
unpredictable, like a roulette-wheel.
When it shows the characteristic form of constraint, theobserver can take advantage of the fact. He does this by re-coding
the whole protocol into a more compact form, containing only:(i) a statement of the transformationand (ii) a statement of the actual input given.
Subsequently, instead of the discussion being conducted in termsof a lengthy protocol, it is conducted compactly in terms of a succinct transformation; as we did throughout Part I.
Thus, use of the transformation is one example of how one canturn to advantage the characteristic constraint on behaviour
imposed by its being “machine-like”.

Ex. 1: The set of closed single-valued transformations (absolute systems) on
three states a, b, c has 27 members (compare Ex. 7/7/7). How many members
remain if we add the restriction that the absolute system is to have no stateof equilibrium?
Ex. 2: (Continued.) Similarly, but the restriction is that there must be only one
basin.
Ex. 3: (Continued.) Similarly, but the restriction is that the transitions a -> b andb → c may not occur.
Ex. 4: A vector has ten components, each of which can take one of the values: 1,
2, 3, 4. How much variety has the set of vectors if (i) the components vary
independently (S.7/12); (ii) under the rule that no two adjacent components
may differ in value by more than one unit ?

7/21. Learning and constraint. For the psychologist, an important
example of constraint occurs in learning. Pavlov, for instance, in
one experiment gave both thermal and tactile stimuli, as well as
reinforcement by meat powder, in the following combinations:
ThermalTactileReinforcement
1
+
+
+
2
+
–
–
3
–
+
+
4
–
–
–
(The fourth combination occurred, of course, in the intervals.)
Now the total combinations possible are eight; Pavlov presented
only four. It was an essential part of the experiment that the fullset should not be given, for otherwise there would be nothing particular for the animal to learn. Constraint was an essential featureof the experiment.
The same principle can be seen more simply in learning by
association. Suppose one wanted the subject, given a letter, toreply with a number according to the ruleEx.: If a protocol shows the constraint characteristic of a machine, what does theconstraint exclude ?

A given : reply with 2
B
,,
: ,,
,, 5
C
,,
: ,,
,, 3

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The subject might then be given a sequence such as A2, B5, C3,
B5, C3, A2, A2, C3, and so on.
Now this sequence, as a sequence of vectors with two components, shows constraint; and if learning is to occur the constraint
is necessary; for without constraint A would be followed equally
by 2, 3 or 5; and the subject would be unable to form any specificassociations. Thus learning is possible only to the extent that thesequence shows constraint.
The same is true of learning a maze. For this to occur the mazemust retain the same pattern from day to day during the period oflearning. Were the maze to show no constraint, the animal would
be unable to develop the particular (and appropriate) way of
behaving. Thus, learning is worth while only when the environment shows constraint. (The subject is taken up again in S.13/7.)

It is not necessary that the transformation should be closed.
Thus if the same set of ten letters is transformed by Y:

V A RI ETY I N M A C H IN E S
7/22. We can now turn to considering how variety is affected bya machine’s activities, making our way towards an understandingof what happens to information when it is handled by a machine.
First, let us notice a fundamental peculiarity of the single-valued
transformation in its relation to variety.
Consider for instance the single-valued transformation
Z: ↓

A B C
B C C

and apply it to some set of the operands, e.g.
B B A C C C A A B A
The result is C C B C C C B B C B
What is important is that the variety in the set has fallen from 3
to 2. A further transformation by Z leads to all C’s, with a variety
of 1.
The reader can easily satisfy himself that such a set, operated on
by a single-valued transformation, can never increase in variety,and usually falls. The reason for the fall can readily be identified.
In the graph, a confluence of arrows

can occur, but a diver-gence
is impossible. Whenever the transformation makes twostates change to one, variety is lost; and there is no contrary process to replace the loss.
134

A B C
Y: ↓ p q pgiving q q p p p p p p q p, the variety falls. It is easy to see that
only when the transformation is one-one (over the letters that
actually occur in the set to be transformed) is the set’s variety
unchanged; and this is a very special type of transformation.
Ex. 1: Write the letters A to Z in a row; under it, letter by letter, write the first 26
letters of some well known phrase. The transition from upper row to lower
now defines a single-valued transformation (u). Write your name in full, findthe variety among its letters, transform by u (i.e. “code” it) and find the variety in the new set of letters How has the variety changed ? Apply u repeatedly; draw a graph of how the variety changes step by step.
Ex. 2: In a certain genus of parasite, each species feeds off only one species ofhost. If the varieties (in our sense) of parasites’ species and hosts’ species areunequal, which is the larger?
Ex. 3: “A multiplicity of genotypes may show the same phenotypic feature.” If
the change from each genotype to its corresponding phenotype is a transformation V, what change in variety does V cause ?
Ex. 4: When a tea-taster tastes a cup of tea, he can be regarded as responsible fora transformation Y converting “sample of leaf” as operand to “opinion” astransform. If the taster is perfect, Y will be one-one. How would he bedescribed if Y were many-one ?
Ex. 5: When read to the nearest degree on each of seven occasions, the temperatures of the room and of a thermostatically-controlled water-bath were
found to be
Room: 65, 62, 68, 63, 62, 59, 61.
Water-bath: 97, 97, 98, 97, 97, 97, 97.
How much variety is shown (i) by the room’s temperatures, (ii) by those of
the bath ? What would have been said had the variety in (i) exceeded that of(ii)?
* Ex. 6: If the transformation has been formed by letting each state go to one state
selected at random from all the states (independently and with equal probabilities), show that if the number of states is large, the variety will fall at thefirst step, in the ratio of 1 to 1 - 1/e, i.e. to about two-thirds. (Hint: The problem is equivalent (for a single step) to the following: n hunters come suddenly on a herd of n deer. Each fires one shot at a deer chosen at random.
Every bullet hits. How many deer will, on the average, be hit? And to what
does the average tend as n tends to infinity?)

7/23. Set and machine. We must now be clear about how a set ofstates can be associated with a machine, for no real machine can,at one time, be in more than one state. A set of states can be considered for several reasons.
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We may, in fact, not really be considering one machine, however
much we speak in the singular (S.7/3), but may really be considering a set of replicates, as one might speak of “the Model T Ford”, or“the anterior horn cell”, or “the white rat”. When this is so we canconsider all the replicates together, one in one state and one in
another; thus we get a set of states for one transformation to act on.
A set of states can also arise even if the machine is unique. For
we may wish to consider not only what it may do at one time fromone state but also what it may do at another time from anotherstate. So its various possible behaviours at a set of times are naturally related to a set of states as operands.
Finally, a set may be created by the fiat of a theoretician who,
not knowing which state a particular machine is at, wants to trace
out the consequences of all the possibilities. The set now is not theset of what does exist, but the set of what may exist (so far as thetheoretician is concerned). This method is typically cybernetic,
for it considers the actual in relation to the wider set of the possible or the conceivable (S.1/3).

particular message, then as time goes on the amount of information it stores can only diminish. Thus one of three messages might
be carried to a prisoner by a cup of coffee, the message dependingon whether it was hot, tepid, or cold. This method would work satisfactorily if the time between despatch and receipt was short, but
not if it were long; for whichever of the three states were selected
originally, the states after a short time would be either “tepid” or“cold”, and after a long time, “cold” only. Thus the longer thetime between despatch and receipt, the less is the system’s capacity for carrying information, so far as this depends on its being at
a particular state.

7/24. Decay of variety. Having, for one of these reasons, a set ofstates and one single-valued transformation, we can now, using
the result of S.7/22, predict that as time progresses the variety inthe set cannot increase and will usually diminish.
This fact may be seen from several points of view.
In the first place it gives precision to the often made remark thatany system, left to itself, runs to some equilibrium. Usually theremark is based on a vague appeal to experience, but this is unsatisfactory, for the conditions are not properly defined. Sometimes
the second law of thermodynamics is appealed to, but this is often
irrelevant to the systems discussed here (S.1/2). The new formulation shows just what is essential.
In the second place it shows that if an observer has an absolutesystem, whose transformation he knows but whose states cannot,
for any reason, be observed, then as time goes on his uncertainty
about its state can only diminish. For initially it might be at any
one of all its states, and as time goes on so does the number of its
possible states diminish. Thus, in the extreme case in which it has
only one basin and a state of equilibrium, he can, if initially uncertain, ultimately say with certainty, without making any further
observation, at which state it is.
The diminution can be seen from yet another point of view. If
the variety in the possible states is associated with information, sothat the machine’s being at some particular state conveys some136

Ex. 1: If a ball will rest in any one of three differently coloured basins, how muchvariety can be stored ?
Ex. 2: (Continued.) If in addition another ball of another colour can be placed,by how much is the variety increased ?
Ex. 3: That a one-one transformation causes no loss of variety is sometimes used
as a parlour trick. A member of the audience is asked to think of two digits.
He is then asked to multiply one of them by 5, add 7, double the result, andadd the other number. The result is told to the conjurer who then names theoriginal digits. Show that this transformation retains the original amount ofvariety. (Hint: Subtract 14 from the final quantity.)
Ex. 4 (Continued.) What is the set for the first measure of variety?
Ex. 5: (Another trick.) A member of the audience writes down a two-digit
number, whose digits differ by at least 2. He finds the difference between
this number and the number formed by the same digits in reverse order. To
the difference he adds the number formed by reversing the digits of the difference. How much variety survives this transformation?
Ex. 6: If a circuit of neurons can carry memory by either reverberating or not,how much variety can the circuit carry ? What is the set having the variety ?
Ex. 7: Ten machines, identical in structure, have run past their transients and now
have variety constant at zero. Are they necessarily at a state of equilibrium ?

7/25. Law of Experience. The previous section showed that thevariety in a machine (a set being given and understood) can neverincrease and usually decreases. It was assumed there that themachine was isolated, so that the changes in state were due only
to the inner activities of the machine; we will now consider what
happens to the variety when the system is a machine with input.
Consider first the simplest case, that of a machine with one
parameter P that changes only at long intervals. Suppose, for clarity, that the machine has many replicates, identical in their transformations but differing in which state each is at; and that we areobserving the set of states provided at each moment by the set ofmachines. Let P be kept at the same value for all and held at that137

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QUANTITY OF VARIETY

value while the machines change step by step. The conditions are
now as in the previous section, and if we measure the variety instate over the set of replicates, and observe how the variety
changes with time, we shall see it fall to some minimum. When thevariety has reached its minimum under this input-value (P~), let P
be changed to some new value (P2), the change being made uniformly and simultaneously over the whole set of replicates. Thechange in value will change the machine’s graph from one form toanother, as for example (if the machine has states A, B,…, F,)proper correspondence. This point of view would be more appropriate if we were studying some very complex transducer, making
fresh experiments on it each day. If it contained great numbers ofrather inaccessible parts, there might be difficulty in bringing iteach morning back to some standardised state ready for the next
experiment. The theorem says that if its input is taken, in the earlymorning, through some standardised routine, then the longer theroutine, the more certain is it that the machine will be brought,
ready for the experimenter, to some standard state. The experimenter may not be able to name the state, but he can be confident
that it tends to be reproducible.
It should be noticed that mere equality of the set’s parameter at
each step of the sequence is not sufficient; if the effect is to be
more than merely nominal (i.e. null) the parameters must undergo
actual, non- zero, change.
The theorem is in no way dependent for its truth on the size ofthe system. Very large systems are exactly as subject to it as small,and may often be expected to show the effect more smoothly andregularly (by the statistical effect of largeness). It may therefore
be usefully applicable to the brain and to the social and economic
system.
Examples that may correspond to this process are very common. Perhaps something of this sort occurs when it is found thata number of boys of marked individuality, having all been throughthe same school, develop ways that are more characteristic of theschool they attended than of their original individualities. The
extent to which this tendency to uniformity in behaviour is due tothis property of transducers must be left for further research.
Some name is necessary by which this phenomenon can bereferred to. I shall call it the law of Experience. It can be
described more vividly by the statement that information put in bychange at a parameter tends to destroy and replace information
about the system’s initial state.

from

A
↓
D

B

C
↓
E ← F
(P1)

to

A → B
↑
D → E
(P2)

C
↑
F

Under P1, all those members that started at A, B or D would go toD, and those that started at C, E, or F would go to E. The variety,after some time at P1, would fall to 2 states. When P is changed toP2, all those systems at D would go, in the first step, to E (for thetransformation is single-valued), and all those at E would go to B.
It is easy to see, therefore, that, provided the same change is madeto all, change of parameter-value to the whole set cannot increase
the set’s variety. This is true, of course, whether D and E are statesof equilibrium or not. Now let the system continue under P2. The
two groups, once resting apart at D and E, will now both come toB; here all will have the same state, and the variety will fall tozero. Thus, change of parameter-value makes possible a fall to anew, and lower, minimum.
The condition that the change P1 -> P2 may lead to a further fallin variety is clearly that two or more of P1’s states of equilibrium
lie in the same P2 basin. Since this will often happen we can makethe looser, but more vivid, statement that a uniform change at the
inputs of a set of transducers tends to drive the set’s variety down.
As the variety falls, so does the set change so that all its members tend, at each moment, to be at the same state. In other words,
changes at the input of a transducer tend to make the system’s
state (at a given moment) less dependent on the transducer’s individual initial state and more dependent on the particular sequenceof parameter-values used as input.
The same fact can be looked at from another point of view. In
the argument just given, “the set” was taken, for clarity, to be a setof replicates of one transducer, all behaving simultaneously. The
theorem is equally applicable to one transducer on a series ofoccasions, provided the various initial times are brought into
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8ChapterT R A NS MIS S IO N O F VARI ETY
8/1. The previous chapter has introduced the concept of “variety”,
a concept inseparable from that of “information”, and we haveseen how important it is, in some problems, to recognise that weare dealing with a set of possibilities.
In the present chapter we shall study how such possibilities aretransmitted through a machine, in the sense of studying the relation that exists between the set that occurs at the input and the consequent set that occurs, usually in somewhat coded form, at theoutput. We shall see that the transmission is, if the machine isdeterminate, perfectly orderly and capable of rigorous treatment.
Our aim will be to work towards an understanding good enoughto serve as a basis for considering the extremely complex codings
used by the brain.

brief account mentions no less than sixteen major transformations
through all of which something has been preserved, though thesuperficial appearances have changed almost out of recognition.
8/3. Complexity of coding. When considering such repeated codings the observer may easily over-estimate the amount of complexity that has been introduced. It not uncommonly happens thatthe amount of complexity is nothing like as large as a first impression might suggest.
A simple example, showing how a complex coding may havehidden simplicities, occurs when a simple one-one coding of the alphabet is applied first to the message, then to the first coded form togive a second (doubly-) coded form, then to the second coded form,and so on for many codings. The final form might be thought to be
extremely mixed, and to need for its decoding as many operations
backwards as were used forwards; in fact, as can easily be verified,
it differs from the original message only by as much as is caused bya single application of some one-one coding. The final message canthus be turned back to the original by a single operation.
Ex.: Arrange the cards of a pack in order, and place it on the table face downwards. Cut. Cut again. Cut again and again until you are satisfied that theoriginal order is lost totally. Now pick the pack up and examine its order;
how much order has been lost?

8/2. Ubiquity of coding. To get a picture of the amount of codingthat goes on during the ordinary interaction between organism andenvironment, let us consider, in some detail, the comparatively simple sequence of events that occurs when a “Gale warning” is broadcast. It starts as some patterned process in the nerve cells of themeteorologist, and then becomes a pattern of muscle-movements as
he writes or types it, thereby making it a pattern of ink marks on
paper. From here it becomes a pattern of light and dark on theannouncer’s retina, then a pattern of retinal excitation, then a pattern of nerve impulses in the optic nerve, and so on through his
nervous system. It emerges, while he is reading the warning, as apattern of lip and tongue movements, and then travels as a patternof waves in the air. Reaching the microphone it becomes a patternof variations of electrical potential, and then goes through further
changes as it is amplified, modulated, and broadcast. Now it is apattern of waves in the ether, and next a pattern in the receiving set.
Back again to the pattern of waves in the air, it then becomes a pattern of vibrations traversing the listener’s ear-drums, ossicles, cochlea, and then becomes a pattern of nerve-impulses moving up theauditory nerve. Here we can leave it, merely noticing that this veryM1 M2 M3 …
C1 C2 C3 …
where M1, M2, . . . are the various messages and C1, C2, … aretheir coded forms. A coding, then, is specified by a transforma-

140

141

8/4. De-coding. The general study of codings is best introduced
by noticing some of the features of military codings.
We must be careful from the beginning not to interpret “code”
too narrowly. At first we tend to think only of those methods thatturn each letter of the message to some other letter, but this classis too restricted, for there are many other methods. Thus the“Playfair” code operates on the letters in pairs, turning each pair(a vector with two components ) to some other pair. Other codes
put the letters into some new arrangement, while others arewholly arbitrary, turning, for instance, “two divisions will arrive”
to “Arthur”. These considerations make it clear that if the coding
is a transformation, the operand is the whole message rather thana letter (though the latter possibility is not excluded). The transformation is therefore essentially of the form
U: ↓

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TRANSMISSION OF VARIETY

tion.
Often the method uses a “key-word” or some other factor thatis capable of changing the code from one form to another. Such afactor corresponds, of course, to a parameter, giving as many particular codings (or transformations) U1, U2, ... as there are values
to the factor.
“Decoding” means applying such a transformation to the transform Ci as will restore the original message Mi :Ex. 10: The concentrations “high” or “low” of sex-hormone in the blood of a certain animal determines whether it will, or will not, go through a ritual of
courtship. If the sex-hormone is very complicated chemically and the ritualvery complicated ethnologically, and if the variable “behaviour” is regarded
as a coded form of the variable “concentration”, how much variety is there
in the set of messages ?

Ex. 1: Is the transformation x' = log10 x, applied to positive numbers, a one-one
coding? What is “decoding” it usually called?
Ex. 2: Is the transformation x' = sin x, applied to the positive numbers, a one-one
coding?
Ex. 3: What transformation results from the application of, first, a one-one transformation and then its inverse ?
Ex. 4: What transformation is the inverse of n' = n + 7?
Ex. 5: What transformation is the inverse of x' = 2x + y, y' = x + y?
Ex. 6: If the coded form consists of three English letters, e.g. JNB, what is thevariety of the possible coded forms (measured logarithmically) ?
Ex. 7: (Continued.) How many distinct messages can be sent through such a
code, used once?
Ex. 8. Eight horses are running in a race, and a telegram will tell Mr. A. whichcame first and which second. What variety is there in the set of possible messages ?
Ex. 9: (Continued.) Could the set be coded into a single letter, printed either ascapital or

8/5. Coding by machine. Next we can consider what happens whena message becomes coded by being passed through a machine.
That such questions are of importance in the study of the brain
needs no elaboration. Among their other applications are thosepertaining to “instrumentation”—the science of getting information from some more or less inaccessible variable or place, suchas the interior of a furnace or of a working heart, to the observer.
The transmission of such information almost always involves
some intermediate stage of coding, and this must be selected suitably. Until recently, each such instrument was designed simply on
the principles peculiar to the particular branch of science; today,
however, it is known, after the pioneer work of Shannon and
Wiener, that certain general laws hold over all such instruments.
What they are will be described below.
A “machine” was defined in S.3/4 as any set of states whosechanges in time corresponded to a closed single-valued transformation. This definition applies to the machine that is totally isolated i.e. in constant conditions; it is identical with the absolutesystem defined in Design.... In S.4/ I the machine with input was
defined as a system that has a closed single-valued transformationfor each one of the possible states of a set of parameters. This is
identical with the “transducer” of Shannon, which is defined as asystem whose next state is determined by its present state and thepresent values of its parameters. (He also assumes that it can havea finite internal memory, but we shall ignore this for the moment,
returning to it in S.918.)
Assume then that we have before us a transducer M that can bein some one of the states S1, S2, . . ., Sn, which will be assumed
here to be finite in number. It has one or more parameters that cantake, at each moment, some one of a set of values P1, P2, . . ., Pk.
Each of these values will define a transformation of the S’s. We
now find that such a system can accept a message, can code it, andcan emit the coded form. By “message” I shall mean simply somesuccession of states that is, by the coupling between two systems,
at once the output of one system and the input of the other. Often
the state will be a vector. I shall omit consideration of any “mean-

142

143

C1 C2 C3 …
M1 M2 M3 …
Such a transformation V is said to be the inverse of U; it may thenbe written as U-1. In general, only one-one transformations havesingle-valued inverses.
If the original message Mi is to be recoverable from the coded
form Ci, whatever value i may have, then both U and U-1 must be
one-one; for if both Mi and Mj were to be transformed to one form
Ck, then the receiver of Ck could not tell which of the M’s had
been sent originally, and Ck cannot be decoded with certainty.
Next suppose that a set of messages, having variety v, is sent
coded by a one-one transformation U. The variety in the set ofcoded forms will also be v. Variety is not altered after coding by
a one-one transformation.
It follows that if messages of variety v are to pass through several codes in succession, and are to be uniquely restorable to their
original forms, then the process must be one that preserves thevariety in the set at every stage.
V: ↓A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

TRANSMISSION OF VARIETY

ing” to be attached to the message and shall consider simply what
will happen in these determinate systems.
For simplicity in the example, suppose that M can take any oneof four states: A, B, C, and D; that the parameters provide threestates Q, R, and S. These suppositions can be shown in tabularform, which shows the essentials of the “transducer” (as in S.4/l):

Ex. 6: Pass the message “314159 . . .” (the digits of π) through the transducer n'= n + a—5, starting the transducer at n = 10.
Ex. 7: If a and b are parameters, so that the vector (a,b) defines a parameter state,
and if the transducer has states defined by the vector (x,y) and transformation

↓

A

B

a
b
x
y

Given its initial state and the sequence of values given to theparameter, its output can be found without difficulty, as in S.4/1.
Thus, suppose it starts at B and that the input is at R; it will change
to C. If the input goes next to Q, it will go from C to A. The results
so far can be shown in tabular form:RB

x' = ax + by
y' = x + (a – b)y,complete the trajectory in the table:C D

Q C C A B
R A C B BS B D C D

Input-state:Transducer-state:





Q
C

A

It can now easily be verified that if the initial state is B and the
input follows the sequence R Q R S S Q R R Q S R, the output
will follow the sequence B C A A B D B C B C C B.
There is thus no difficulty, given the transducer, its initial state,
and the input sequence, in deducing its trajectory. Though theexample may seem unnatural with its arbitrary jumps, it is in fact
quite representative, and requires only more states, and perhaps
the passage to the limit of continuity to become a completely natural representation. In the form given, however, various quantitative properties are made obvious and easily calculable, where in
the continuous form the difficult technique of measure theory
must be used.

1
–1
2
1

–2
0
1
1
1
2
4 –11

–1
0
?
?

2
1
?
?

5
–2
?
?

–2
0
?
?

*Ex. 8: A transducer, with parameter u, has the transformation dx/dt = – (u + 4)x;
it is given, from initial state x = 1, the input u = cos t; find the values of x as
output.
*Ex. 9: If a is input to the transducer
dx/dt = ydy/dt = – x – 2y + a,with diagram of immediate effects
a → y →
← x,
what is the output from x if it is started at (0,0) with input a = sin t? (Hint:
Use the Laplace transform.)*Ex. 10: If a is input and the transducer is
dx/dt = k(a – x)what characterises x’s behaviour as k is made positive and numerically larger
and larger?

I NVE RT I NG A CODE D ME S S AGE

Ex. 1: Pass the same message (R Q R S S Q R R Q S R) through the same transducer, this time starting at A.
Ex. 2: Pass the message “R1, R2, R3, R1, R2, R3” through the transducer of S.4/1,
starting it at a.
Ex. 3: (Continued.) Encode the same message through the same transducer, starting it at b.
Ex. 4: (Continued.) Does a transducer’s output depend, for given input, on its initial state?
Ex. 5: If the transducer is n' = n – a, where a is a parameter, what will its trajectory be if it starts at n = 10 and receives the input sequence 2, 1, –3, –1, 2, 1?

8/6. In S.8/4 it was emphasised that, for a code to be useful as amessage-carrier, the possibility of its inversion must exist. Let us
attempt to apply this test to the transducer of S.8/5, regarding it asa coder.
There are two transformations used, and they must be kept carefully distinct. The first is that which corresponds to U of S.8/4,
and whose operands are the individual messages; the second isthat of the transducer. Suppose the transducer of S.8/5 is to begiven a “message” that consists of two letters, each of which may
be one of Q, R, S. Nine messages are possible:
QQ, QR, QS, RQ, RR, RS, SQ, SR, SS

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145

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TRANSMISSION OF VARIETY

and these correspond to M1, M2, . . ., M9 of U. Suppose the transducer is always started at A; it is easy to verify that the corresponding nine outputs will be (if we ignore the initial andinvariable A):
CA, CB, CC, AC, AA, AB, BC, BC, BB.

8/7. Designing an inverter. The previous section showed that provided the transducer did not lose distinctions in transmission from
input to output, the coded message given as output could always
be decoded. In this section we shall show that the same process
can be done automatically, i.e. given a machine that does not losedistinctions, it is always possible to build another machine that,receiving the first’s output as input, will emit the original message
as its own output.
We are now adopting a rather different point of view from thatof the previous section. There we were interested in the possibilityof a message being decoded and in whether the decoding could bedone or not—by whom did not matter. We are now turning to thequestion of how a mechanism can be built, by us, so that themechanism shall do the decoding automatically. We seek, not a
restored message but a machine. How shall it be built? What we
require for its specification, of course, is the usual set of transformations (S.4/1).
A possible method, the one to be used here, is simply to convert
the process we followed in the preceding section into mechanistic
form, using the fact that each transition gives information about
the parameter-value under which it occurred. We want amachine, therefore, that will accept a transition as input and givethe original parameter value as output. Now to know which transition has occurred, i.e. what are the values of i and j in “Xi -> Xj”,
is clearly equivalent to knowing what is the value of the vector(i,j); for a transition can also be thought of as a vector having two
components. We can therefore feed the transitions into an inverter
if the inverter has an input of two parameters, one to take the valueof the earlier state and the other to take the value of the later.
Only one difficulty remains: the transition involves two statesthat do not exist at the same moment of time, so one of theinverter’s inputs must behave now according to what the transducer’s output was. A simple device, however, will get over thisdifficulty. Consider the transducer

These are the C1, C2, . . ., C9 of U. Now the coding performed by
the transducer is not one-one, and there has been some loss ofvariety, for there are now only eight distinguishable elements, BC
being duplicated. This transducer therefore fails to provide thepossibility for complete and exact decoding; for if BC arrives,
there is no way of telling whether the original message was SQ orSR.
In this connexion it must be appreciated that an inability to
decode may be due to one of two very different reasons. It may be
due simply to the fact that the decoder, which exists, is not at hand.
This occurs when a military message finds a signaller without thecode-book, or when a listener has a gramophone record (as acoded form of the voice) but no gramophone to play it on. Quite
different is the inability when it is due to the fact that two distinct
messages may result in the same output, as when the output BC
comes from the transducer above. All that it indicates is that theoriginal message might have been SQ or SR, and the decoder thatmight distinguish between them does not exist.
It is easy to see that if, in each column of the table, every state
had been different then every transition would have indicated aunique value of the parameter; so we would thus have been able
to decode any sequence of states emitted by the transducer. The
converse is also true; for if we can decode any sequence of states,
each transition must determine a unique value of the parameter,
and thus the states in a column must be all different. We have thus
identified the characteristic in the transducer that corresponds to
its being a perfect coder.
Ex. 1: In a certain transducer, which has 100 states, the parameters can take 108
combinations of values; can its output always be decoded? (Hint: Try simple
examples in which the number of transformations exceeds that of the states.)Ex. 2: (To emphasise the distinction between the two transformations.) If a transducer’s input has 5 states, its output 7, and the message consists of somesequence of 12, (i) how many operands has the transducer’s transformation,and (ii) how many has the coding transformation U?
Ex. 3: If a machine is continuous, what does “observing a transition” correspondto in terms of actual instrumentation ?
*Ex. 4: If the transducer has the transformation dx/dt = ax, where a is the input,
can its output always be decoded ? (Hint: Solve for a.)

146

↓

q

r

Q
R

s

q q q
r r r
S s s sSuppose it is started at state r and is given the input Q S S R Q S R
R Q; its output will be r q s s r q s r r q, i.e. after the first letter itjust repeats the input, but one step later. Two such transducers in
147

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

TRANSMISSION OF VARIETY

series will repeat the message two steps later, and so on. Clearly
there is no difficulty in principle in getting delay.
Suppose that the first transducer, the coder, is:

The inverter will now emit the same sequence as was put into
the coder. Thus suppose Q was put in and caused the transition
A → D in the coder. This implies that the inverter will be receiving at this step, D directly from the coder (for the coder is at D),
and a from the delayer (for the coder was at A the step before).
With input (a, D), the inverter goes to state Q, which is the state
we supposed. And similarly for the other possible states put in.
Thus, given a transducer that does not lose distinctions, anautomatic inverter can always be built. The importance of thedemonstration is that it makes no reference to the transducer’s
actual material—it does not matter whether it is mechanical, or
electronic, or neuronic, or hydraulic—the possibility of inversion
exists. What is necessary is the determinateness of the coder’sactions, and its maintenance of all distinctions.

↓

A

B

C D

Q D A D B
R B B B CS A C A D
What we require is a machine that, e.g.
given input A, A will emit S,,,, A, B ,,,, R,,,, A, D ,,,, Q,,,, B, A ,,
,, Q
etc.
(The input A,C will never actually come to it, for the transition
cannot be emitted from the coder.)The three machines are coupled thus:→ Coder → Delayer↓
Inverter →The delayer has the simple form:
↓

a

b

c

d

A
B
C
D
and the inverter the form:

a
b
c
d

a
b
c
d

a
b
c
d

a
b
c
d

R

S

↓

Q

(a, A) SSS(a, B) RR
R(a, C) (will not occur)(a, D) Q Q Q(b, A) Q Q Q
etc.
etc.
to which the input is the vector(state of delayer, state of coder).
148

Ex. 1: Why cannot the Coder of S.8/5 be used as example?
Ex. 2: Complete the specification of the inverter just given.
Ex. 3: Specify a two-step delayer in tabular form.

8/8. (This section may be omitted at first reading.) Now that theconstruction of the inverter has been identified in the most generalform, we can examine its construction when the transducer is lessgeneral and more like the machines of every-day life. The next
step is to examine the construction of the inverter when the transformations, of transducer and inverter, are given, not in the
abstract form of a table but by some mathematical function.
As a preliminary, consider building an inverter for the transducer with input a, variable n, and transformation n' = n + a. A
suitable device for delay would be the transducer with parametern, variable p, and transformation p' = n. It is now easily verified
that, given the input a as shown, n (if started at 3) and p (if startedat 1) will change as:
a:
n:
p:

4 –2 –1
3 7 5
1 3 7

0
4
5

2 –1 –1
4 6 5
4 4 6

3
4
5

It is now obvious that if the inverter, with a variable m, is toreceive n and p as input, as vector (n,p), and give back a as output,
then M, as transformation, must include such transitions as:
M: ↓(7, 3) (5, 7) (4, 5) (4, 4)
4
–2
–1
0
149

…
…

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

Examination of these in detail, to find how the transform follows
from the operand, shows that in all cases
m' = n – p
It is easily verified that the whole system will now emit the values
that the original input had two steps earlier.
(The reader might be tempted to say that as n' = n + a, therefore
a = n' – n, and the code is solved. This statement is true, but it
does not meet our purpose, which is to build a machine (see pare.
2 of S.8/7). It enables us to decode the message but it is not the
specification of a machine. The building or specification requires
the complications of the previous paragraph, which finishes withm' = n – p, a specification for a machine with input.)
The general rule is now clear. We start with the transducer’s
equation, n' = n + a, and solve it for the parameter: a = n' – n. The
delaying device has the transformation p' = n. The transformation
for the inverter is formed by the rules, applied to the equationa = n' – n:
1: replace a by the new transducer’s symbol m';
2: replace n' by a parameter c;
3: replace n by a parameter d.
Then, if this inverter is joined to the original transducer by puttingd = n, and to the delayer by c = p, it will have the required properties.
If the original transducer has more than one variable, the process needs only suitable expansion. An example, without explanation, will be sufficient. Suppose the original transducer has
parameters a1 and a2, variables x1 and x2, and transformation
x1' = 2x1 + a1x2x2' = 2x2 + a1a2
Solving for the parameters gives
a1 = (x1' – 2x1)/x2
a2 = x2(x2' – 2x2)/(x1' – 2x1)
A delayer for x1 is p1' = x1, and one for x2 is p2' = x2. The equationsof the inverter are formed from those for a1 and a2 by applying therules:
1: replace each ai by a new symbol a1= m1', a2 = m2';
2: replace each xi 'by a parameter ci : x1' = c1, x2' = c2;
3: replace each xi by a parameter di: x1 = d1, x2 = d2;
150

TRANSMISSION OF VARIETY

There results the transducer
m1' = (c1 – 2d1)/d2
m2' = d2(c2 – 2d2)/(c1 – 2d1)
If now this transducer is joined to the original transducer by d1 =x1, d2 = x2, and to the delayers by c1= p1, c2 = p2, then m1 and m2
will give, respectively, the values that a1 and a2 had two steps earlier.
Ex. 1: Build an inverter for the transducer n' = an.
Ex. 2: Similarly for n' = n – 2a + 4.
Ex. 3: Similarly for x' = ax – by, y' = ax + by.
Ex. 4: Try to build an inverter for the transducer n' = n + a + b, why can it not
be done ?
*Ex. 5: Build an inverter for the transducer
dx1/dt = a1x1x2 + a2
dx2/dt = (a1—1)x1 + a2x2.
Ex. 6: Why, in the section, does M have to transform (7,3) to 4, and not to —2,
as the table a few lines higher might suggest ?

8/9. Size of the inverter. With the facts of the previous section, it
is now possible to make some estimate of how much mechanism
is necessary to invert the output of some given transducer. S.8/7
makes clear that if the original transducer is not to lose distinctions it must have at least as many output values as the input has
distinct values. Similarly the inverter must have at least as many,
but need not necessarily have more. The delayers will require little, for they are simple. It seems, therefore, that if the inverter ismade of similar components to the original transducer then, whatever the complexity or size of the original transducer, the inverter
will have a complexity and size of the same order.
The importance of this observation is that one sometimes feels,
when thinking of the complexities in the cerebral cortex or in an
ecological system, that any effect transmitted through the system
must almost at once become so tangled as to be beyond all possible unravelling. Evidently this is not so; the complications of coding added by one transducer are often or usually within the
decoding powers of another transducer of similar size.
T R A NS MI S S I ON F ROM S YS T E M T O S YS T E M
8/10. “Transmitting” variety. It may be as well at this point toclarify a matter on which there has been some confusion. Though
it is tempting to think of variety (or information) as passing151

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TRANSMISSION OF VARIETY

through a transducer, or variety passing from one transducer toanother, yet the phrase is dangerously misleading. Though anenvelope can contain a message, the single message, being
unique, cannot show variety; so an envelope, though it can contain a message, cannot contain variety: only a set of envelopes cando that. Similarly, variety cannot exist in a transducer (at any
given moment), for a particular transducer at a particular moment
is in one, and only one, state. A transducer therefore cannot “contain” variety. What can happen is that a number of transducers(possibly of identical construction), at some given moment, canshow variety in the states occupied; and similarly one transducer,
on a number of occasions, can show variety in the states it occupied on the various occasions.
(What is said here repeats something of what was said in S.7/5,
but the matter can hardly be over-emphasised.)
It must be remembered always that the concepts of “variety”, asused in this book, and that of “information”, as used in communication theory, imply reference to some set, not to an individual.
Any attempt to treat variety or information as a thing that can exist
in another thing is likely to lead to difficult “problems” thatshould never have arisen.

set of U’s that has all its representative points at the same state canthus, under the effect of T’s variety, change to a set with its points
scattered over not more than nT states. There are nu such sets ofU’s, each capable of being scattered over not more than nT states,
so the total scattering cannot, after one step, be greater than overnTnU states. If variety is measured logarithmically, then the variety in U after one step cannot exceed the sum of those initially in
U and T. In other words, the U’s cannot gain in variety at one stepby more than the variety present in the T’s.
This is the fundamental law of the transmission of variety fromsystem to system. It will be used frequently in the rest of the book.

8/11. Transmission at. one step. Having considered how variety
changes in a single transducer, we can now consider how it passes
from one system to another, from T to U say, where T is an absolute system and U is a transducer.

Ex. 1: A system has states (t,u) and transformation t' = 2', u' = u + t, so t dominates
u. Eight such systems are started at the states (O,9), (2,5), (0,5), (1,9), (1,5),(2,5), (0,9), (1,9) respectively. How much variety is in the t’s ? How muchin the u’s ?
Ex. 2: (Continued.) Find the states at the next step. How much variety has t now?
Predict an upper limit to u’s variety. How much has u now?
Ex. 3: In another system, T has two variables, t1 and t2, and U has two, u1 andu2. The whole has states ( t1, t2, u1, u2), and transformation t1' = t1t2, t2' = t1,
u1' = u1 + t2u2, u2' = t1u2, so that T dominates U. Three replicas are started
from the initial states (0,0,0,1), (0,0,1,1) and (1,0,0,1). What is T’s variety ?
What is U’s ?
Ex. 4: (Continued.) Find the three states one step later. What is U’s variety now ?

As has just been said, we assume that many replicates exist, identical in construction (i.e. in transformation) but able to be in various states independently of each other. If, at a given moment, theT’s have a certain variety, we want to find how soon that variety
spreads to the U’s. Suppose that, at the given moment, the T’s areoccupying nT distinct states and the U’s are occupying nut (Thefollowing argument will be followed more easily if the reader will
compose a simple and manageable example for T and U on which
the argument can be traced.)
T is acting as parameter to U, and to each state of Twill correspond a graph of U. The set of U’s will therefore have as manygraphs as the T’s have values, i.e. nT graphs. This means that fromeach U-state there may occur up to nT different transitions (provided by the nT different graphs), i.e. from the U-state a representative point may pass to any one of not more than nT U-states. A

8/12. Transmission at second step. We have just seen that, at thefirst step, U may gain in variety by an amount up to that in T; what
will happen at the second step? T may still have some variety: will
this too pass to U, increasing its variety still further ?
Take a simple example. Suppose that every member of thewhole set of replicates was at one of the six states (Ti,Uk), (Ti, Ul),
(Ti, Um), (Tj,Uk), (Tj,Ul), (Tj,Um), so that the T’s were all at either
T' or T and the U’s were all at Ul, Ul or Um. Now the system as awhole is absolute; so all those at, say (Ti, Uk), while they may
change from state to state, will all change similarly, visiting thevarious states together. The same argument holds for those at eachof the other five states. It follows that the set’s variety in state cannot exceed six, however many replicates there may be in the set,or however many states there may be in T and U, or for howeverlong the changes may continue. From this it follows that the U’s
can never show more variety than six U-states. Thus, once U has
increased in variety by the amount in T, all further increase mustcease. If U receives the whole amount in one step (as above) then

152

153

T→ U

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TRANSMISSION OF VARIETY

U receives no further increase at the second step, even though T
still has some variety.
It will be noticed how important in the argument are the pairings between the states of T and the states of U, i.e. which valueof T and which of U occur in the same machine. Evidently merely
knowing the quantities of variety in T and in U (over the set of
replicates) is not sufficient for the prediction of how they willchange.

which will be used repeatedly later: given long enough, any transducer can transmit any amount of variety.
An important aspect of this theorem is its extreme generality.
What sort of a machine it is that is acting as intermediate transducer, as channel, is quite irrelevant: it may be a tapping-key thathas only the two states “open” and “closed”, or an electric potential that can take many values, or a whole neural ganglion, or anewspaper—all are ruled by the theorem. With its aid, quantitative accuracy can be given to the intuitive feeling that some
restriction in the rate of communication is implied if the communication has to take place through a small intermediate transducer,
such as when the information from retina to visual cortex has topass through the lateral geniculate body, or when information
about the movements of a predator have to be passed to the herd
through a solitary scout.

8/13. Transmission through a charmer. We can now consider how
variety, or information, is transmitted through a small intermediate transducer—a “channel”—where “small” refers to its numberof possible states. Suppose that two large transducers Q and S areconnected by a small transducer R, so that Q dominates R, and R
dominates S.
Q → R → S
As usual, let there be a great number of replicates of the whole triple system. Let R’s number of possible states be r. Put log2r equalto ρ. Assume that, at the initial state, the Q’s have a variety muchlarger than r states, and that the R’s and S’s, for simplicity,havenone. (Had they some variety, S.8/11 shows that the new variety,gained from Q, would merely add, logarithmically, to what they
possess already.)
Application of S. 8/11 to R and S shows that, at the first step,
S’s variety will not increase at all. So if the three initial varieties,
measured logarithmically, were respectively N, O and 0, thenafter the first step they may be as large as N, ρ, and 0, but cannot
be larger.
At the next step, R cannot gain further in variety (by S.8/12), but
S can gain in variety from R (as is easily verified by considering
an actual example such as Ex. 2). So after the second step the varieties may be as large as N, ρ and ρ. Similarly, after the third step
they may be as large as N, ρ and 2ρ; and so on. S’s variety can thusincrease with time as fast as the terms of the series, O, ρ, 2ρ, 3ρ,. . ., but not faster. The rule is now obvious: a transducer that cannot take more than r states cannot transmit Variety at more thanlog2r bits per step. This is what is meant, essentially, by different
transducers having different “capacities” for transmission.
Conversely, as S’s variety mounts step by step we can see thatthe amount of variety that a transducer (such as R) can transmit
is proportional to the product of its capacity, in bits, and thenumber of steps taken. From this comes the important corollary,154

Ex. 1: An absolute system, of three parts, Q, R and S, has states (q,r,s) and transformationq:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9q': ↓ 4 6 6 5 6 5 8 8 8
 0,
q + r is even,r' =  1, if,, ,, ,, odd.
s' = 2s – r.
Q thus dominates R, and R dominates S. What is R’s capacity as a channel ?
Ex. 2: (Continued.) Nine replicates were started at the initial states (1,0,0),(2,0,0), . . ., (9,0,0), so that only Q had any initial variety. (i) How did thevariety of the Q’s change over the first five steps? (ii) How did that of the
R’s ? (iii) That of the S’s ?
Ex. 3: (Continued.) Had the answer to Ex. 2(iii) been given as “S:1,1,4,5,5”, why
would it have been obviously wrong, without calculation of the actual trajectories ?

8/14. The exercise just given will have shown that when Q, R and
S form a chain, S can gain in variety step by step from R eventhough R can gain no more variety after the first step (S.8/12). The
reason is that the output of R, taken step by step as a sequence,
forms a vector (S.9/9), and the variety in a vector can exceed thatin a component. And if the number of components in a vector canbe increased without limit then the variety in the vector can also
be increased without limit, even though that in each component
remains bounded. Thus a sequence of ten coin-spins can havevariety up to 1024 values, though each component is restricted totwo. Similarly R’s values, though restricted in the exercises totwo, can provide a sequence that has variety of more than two. As
155

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TRANSMISSION OF VARIETY

the process of transmission goes on, S is affected (and its variety
increased) by the whole sequence, by the whole vector, and thus avariety of much more than two can pass through R. A shrinkage
in the capacity of a channel can thus be compensated for (to keep
the total variety transmitted constant) by an increase in the lengthof the sequence— a fact already noticed in the previous section,and one that will be used frequently later.

has no immediate effect on the cortex) the action has to take placethrough a chain of systems: the sense organs, the sensory nerves,the sensory nuclei, and so on; and some delay is thereby imposed.
Even within one such part some transfer has to take place frompoint to point thereby delaying its transfer to the next part.
Conversely, if a system such as T is found on testing to transmit
its variety to another system only over a number of steps, then it
may be predicted that T, if examined in detail, will be found to
consist of sub- systems coupled so that not all of T’s variables
have an immediate effect on S.

Ex. 1: An absolute system T dominates a chain of transducers A1, A2, A3, A4,…:
T → A 1 → A2 → A3 → A4 → …
A set of replicates commences with variety in T but with none in A1, nor in
A2, etc. Show that after k steps the varieties in A1, A2, . . ., Ak may be
non-zero but that those in Ak+1, Ak+2, . . . must still be zero (i.e. that T’s variety “cannot have spread farther than Ak”.).
Ex. 2: Of 27 coins, identical in appearance, one is known to be counterfeit and tobe light in weight. A balance is available and the counterfeit coin is to be
identified by a series of balancings, as few as possible. Without finding themethod—by regarding the balance as a transducer carrying information fromthe coins to the observer—give a number below which the number of balancings cannot fall. (Hint: What is the variety at a single balancing if theresults can be only: equality, left pan heavier, right pan heavier?)

8/15. Delay. The arrangement of the system of S.8/13:
Q→ R→ S

Ex. 1: If T consists of the sub-systems A, . . ., F joined to each other and to S asshown in the diagram of immediate effects:
A ← B →← C↓↑
D → E → FS

how many steps are necessary for all the variety in T to be transferred to S?
Ex. 2: (Continued.) How long does it take to get a “message”, telling of T’s state,uniquely from T to S?
Ex. 3: If J, with the variables w, x, y, z, dominates K, with the variable k, by thetransformation w' = w—y, x' = w + xz, y' = 2wy—z, z, = yz2, k'= x—3k, howmany steps are necessary for all the variety in J to be transferred to K?
Ex. 4: (Continued.) In the same system, how long would it take to get a message
from w to z?

can also be viewed as
T→ S

8/16. To improve our grasp of these matters, let us next consider
the case of two systems joined so that there is feedback:in which Q and R have been regarded as forming a single system
T which is, of course, absolute. If now an observer studies thetransfer of variety from T to S, with exactly the same events as
those of S.8/13 actually occurring, he will find that the variety ismoving across in small quantities, step by step, unlike the transfer
of S.8/11, which was complete in one step.
The reason for the distinction is simply that in S.8/11 the wholeof the dominating system (T) had an immediate effect on the dominated (U), while in S.8/13 T contained a part Q which had no
immediate effect on the receiver S. Q’s effect had to be exerted
through R, and was thereby delayed.
This more time-consuming transfer is common in real systems
simply because many of them are built of parts not all of whichhave an immediate effect on the receiving system. Thus if the cerebral cortex, as receiver, is affected by the environment (which

T←→ U
S.8/11 showed that T will pass variety to U; will U, now having
this variety, pass it back to T and thereby increase T’s variety still
further ?
Again the answer is given straightforwardly when we consider
a set of replicates. Suppose that initially the variety existed only
between the T’s, the U’s being all at the same state. Divide thewhole set into sub- sets, each sub-set consisting of those with T ata particular state, so that set i, say, consists of the systems with T
at state Ti. Within such a subset there is now no variety in state,
and no variety can develop, for the whole (T,U)-system is absolute. The initial variety of the T’s, therefore, will not increase,either at the first step or subsequently. In a determinate system,
feedback does not lead to a regenerative increase in variety.

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TRANSMISSION OF VARIETY

What was important in the argument about U’s feedback to T isthat what U feeds back to T is highly correlated with what is in T,
for each U feeds back into the particular T that acted on it a stepearlier, and no other. The argument thus demands an accurate
treatment of the correspondences between the various T’s and U’s.
The arguments of the previous few sections have shown thatthough the matter can be treated in words in the simple cases(those just considered), the attempt to handle complex cases in theverbal form is likely to lead to intolerable complexities. What iswanted is a symbolic machinery, an algebra, which will enable therelations to be handled more or less mechanically, with the rulesof the symbolic manipulation looking after the complexities. It
seems likely that the theory of sets, especially as developed by
Bourbaki and Riguet, will provide the technique. But further
research is needed into these questions.
8/17. Interference. If acid and alkali are passed along the same
pipe they destroy each other; what will happen if two messages
are passed along the same channel?—will they interfere with, anddestroy, each other?
Simple examples are quite sufficient to establish that the same
physical channel may well carry more than one message without
interference, each message travelling as if the others did not exist.
Suppose, for instance, that a sender wanted to let a recipient know
daily, by an advertisement in the personal column of a newspaper,
which of 26 different events was being referred to, and suppose hearranged to print a single letter as the coded form. The same channel of “one printed letter” could simultaneously be used to carryother messages, of variety two, by letting the letter be printed aslower case or capital. The two messages would then be transmitted with as little interference as if they were on separate pages.
Thus, if ten successive messages were sent, N K e S z t y Z w mwould transmit both n k e s z t y z w m and 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0completely. It is thus possible for two messages to pass throughthe same physical thing without mutual destruction.
As an example of rather different type, consider the transformation of Ex. 2/14/11, and regard the position of, say, A''' as a coded
form of that of A (with B''' similarly as the coded form of B). Thus
treasure might be buried at A and weapons at B, with recording
marks left at A''' and B'''. Now a change in the position of B leads
to a change of A''', so B’s value plays an essential part in the coding of A to A''' (and conversely of A on B'''); so the two messages

interact. Nevertheless the interaction is not destructive to theinformation about where the treasure and the weapons are, for
given the positions of A"' and B"', those of A and B can always bereconstructed, i.e. the messages are still capable of being exactly
decoded.
The conditions necessary that two messages should not interfere destructively can be found by considering the basic fact ofcoding—that a set of messages are converted to a set of transforms (S.8/4)—and by using the fact that any two messages of different type can be laid side by side and considered as components
of one “vector” message, just as any two variables can always be
regarded as components of one vector. Thus if, in the example ofthe printed letter, x represents the variable “which message of the
26” and y represents the variable “which of the two”, then theprinted symbol is a coding of the single message (x,y).
Suppose it is given that the two messages x and y do not interfere
destructively. This implies that both x’s and y’s values are reconstructible from the received form. It follows that if two primary
messages are distinct, then their coded forms must be distinct (forotherwise unique decoding would not be possible). From this it follows that, if the interaction is to be non-destructive, the variety inthe received forms must be not less than that in the original. Thiscondition holds in the example of the printed letter, for both theoriginal messages and the printed form have variety of 26 × 2.
The fact that chaos does not necessarily occur when two messages meet in the same channel is of great importance inneuro-physiology, especially in that of the cerebral cortex. Herethe richness of connexion is so great that much mixing of messages must inevitably occur, if only from the lack of any method
for keeping them apart. Thus a stream of impulses coming fromthe auditory cortex and carrying information relevant to one reaction may meet a stream of impulses coming from the visual cortex
carrying information relevant to some other reaction. It has been
an outstanding problem in neurophysiology to know how destructive interaction and chaos is avoided.
The discussion of this section has shown, however, that the
problem is badly stated. Chaos does not necessarily occur when
two messages meet, even though each affects the same physicalset of variables. Through all the changes, provided that no variety
is lost and that the mechanism is determinate in its details, the two
messages can continue to exist, passing merely from one coding
to another. All that is necessary for their recovery is a suitable
inverter; and, as S.8/7 showed, its construction is always possible.

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Ex. 1: (See Ex. 2/14/11.) If A"' is at the point (0,0) and B"' at (0,1), reconstruct
the position of A.
Ex. 2: A transducer has two parameters: α (which can take the values a or A) andβ (which can take the values b or B). Its states—W, X, Y, Z—are transformed according to:
↓
W X
Y
Z
(a,b) WYYY(a,B) X
X W W
(A,b) Z
W X
X(A,B) YZZ
Z
Two messages, one a series of α−values and the other a series of β− values,
are transmitted simultaneously, commencing together. If the recipient isinterested only in the α−message, can he always re-construct it, regardlessof what is sent by β? (Hint: S.8/6.)
Ex. 3: Join rods by hinge-pins, as shown in Fig. 8/17/1:

Fig 8/17/1(The pinned and hinged joints have been separated to show the construction.) P is a pivot, fixed to a base, on which the rod R can rotate; similarly
for Q and S. The rod M passes over P without connexion; similarly for N and
Q. A tubular constraint C ensures that all movements, for small arcs, shall be
to right or left (as represented in the Figure) only.
Movements at A and B will cause movements at L and N and so to Y and
Z and the whole can be regarded as a device for sending the messages “position of A” and “position of B”, via L and N, to the outputs Y and Z. It will
be found that, with B held fixed, movements at A cause movements of both
L and N; similarly, with A held fixed, movements at B also affect both L and
N. Simultaneous messages from A and B thus pass through both L and N
simultaneously, and evidently meet there. Do the messages interact destructively? (Hint: How does Y move if A alone moves?)
Ex. 4: (Continued.) Find the algebraic relation between the positions at A, B, Y
and Z. What does “decoding” mean in this algebraic form?

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9

Chapter

I NC E SSANT T R ANSM ISSION
9/1. The present chapter will continue the theme of the previous,
and will study variety and its transmission, but will be concernedrather with the special case of the transmission that is sustained
for an indefinitely long time. This is the case of the sciatic nerve,or the telephone cable, that goes on incessantly carrying messages, unlike the transmissions of the previous chapter, whichwere studied for only a few steps in time.
Incessant transmission has been specially studied by Shannon,
and this chapter will, in fact, be devoted chiefly to introducing his
Mathematical Theory of Communication, with special emphasis
on how it is related to the other topics in this Introduction.
What is given in this chapter is, however, a series of notes,
intended to supplement Shannon’s masterly work, rather than adescription that is complete in itself. Shannon’s book must be
regarded as the primary source, and should be consulted first. I
assume that the reader has it available.
9/2. The non-determinate transformation. If the transmission is to
go on for an indefinitely long time, the variety must be sustained,
and therefore not like the case studied in S.8/11, in which T’stransmission of variety stopped after the first step. Now any determinate system of finite size cannot have a trajectory that is infinitely long (S.4/5). We must therefore now consider a morecomprehensive form of machine and transformation—the nondeterminate.
So far all our transformations have been single-valued, andhave thus represented the machine that is determinate. An extension was hinted at in S.2/10, and we can now explore the possibility of an operand having more than one transform. Some
supplementary restriction, however, is required, so as to keep the
possibilities within bounds and subject to some law. It must not
become completely chaotic. A case that has been found to have
many applications is that in which each operand state, instead of161

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INCESSANT TRANSMISSION

being transformed to a particular new state, may go to some oneof the possible states, the selection of the particular state being
made by some method or process that gives each state a constantprobability of being the transform. It is the unchangingness of theprobability that provides the law or orderliness on which definite
statements can be based.
Such a transformation would be the following: x' = x + a, wherethe value of a is found by spinning a coin and using the rule Head:a = 1; Tail: a = 0. Thus, if the initial value of x is 4, and the coingives the sequence T T H H H T H T T H, the trajectory will be 4,4, 4, 5, 6,7, 7, 8, 8, 8,9. If the coin gives H T H H T T T H T T, thetrajectory will be 4, 5, 5, 6, 7, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8. Thus the transformation and the initial state are not sufficient to define a unique trajectory, as was the case in S.2/17; they define only a set of
trajectories. The definition given here is supplemented by instructions from the coin (compare S.4/19), so that a single trajectory is
arrived at.
The transformation could be represented (uniformly with thepreviously used representations) as:ing Head, then the probability of its going to state 5 is 1/2 and sowould be its probability of staying at 4.
↓ … 3

4

5

6 …

… … … … … … …
3 … 1/2 0 0 0 …
4 … 1/2 1/2 0 0 …
5 … 0 1/2 1/2 0 …
6 … 0 0 1/2 1/2 …
… … … … … … …

Such a transformation, and especially the set of trajectories that it
may produce, is called “stochastic”, to distinguish it from the single-valued and determinate.
Such a representation soon becomes unmanageable if manytransitions are possible from each state. A more convenient, andfundamentally suitable, method is that by matrix, similar to thatof S.2/10. A matrix is constructed by writing the possible operands in a row across the top, and the possible transforms in a column down the left side; then, at the intersection of column i withrow j, is put the probability that the system, if at state i, will go tostate j.
As example, consider the transformation just described. If thesystem was at state 4, and if the coin has a probability 1/2 of giv-

All other transitions have zero probability. So the matrix can beconstructed, cell by cell.
This is the matrix of transition probabilities. (The reader
should be warned that the transposed form, with rows and columns interchanged, is more common in the literature; but the form
given has substantial advantages, e.g. Ex. 12/8/4, besides being
uniform with the notations used throughout this book.)
We should, at this point, be perfectly clear as to what we meanby “probability”. (See also S.7/4.) Not only must we be clear
about the meaning, but the meaning must itself be stated in theform of a practical, operational test. (Subjective feelings of“degree of confidence” are here unusable.) Thus if two observers
differ about whether something has a “constant probability”, bywhat test can they resolve this difference ?
Probabilities are frequencies. “A ‘probable’ event is a frequent
event.” (Fisher.) Rain is “probable” at Manchester because it isfrequent at Manchester, and ten Reds in succession at a roulette
wheel is “improbable” because it is infrequent. (The wise reader
will hold tight to this definition, refusing to be drawn into suchmerely speculative questions as to what numerical value shall begiven to the “probability” of life on Mars, for which there can be
no frequency.) What was said in S.7/4 is relevant here, for theconcept of probability is, in its practical aspects, meaningful only
over some set in which the various events or possibilities occur
with their characteristic frequencies.
The test for a constant probability thus becomes a test for a constant frequency. The tester allows the process to continue for atime until some frequency for the event has declared itself. Thus,
if he wished to see whether Manchester had a constant, i.e.
unvarying, probability of rain (in suitably defined conditions), hewould record the rains until he had formed a first estimate of thefrequency. He would then start again, collect new records, and

162

163

3

4

5

1/2

1/2

1/2

1/2

1/2

1/2

3

4

4

5

5

6

etc.

where the 1/2 means that from state 3 the system will change
andwith probability 1/2 to state 3,,,,,,, ,, ,, 4.

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

INCESSANT TRANSMISSION

form a second estimate. He might go on to collect third and fourth
estimates. If these several estimates proved seriously discrepant
he would say that rain at Manchester had no constant probability.
If however they agreed, he could, if he pleased, say that the fraction at which they agreed was the constant probability. Thus an
event, in a very long sequence, has a “constant” probability ofoccurring at each step if every long portion of the sequence shows
it occurring with about the same relative frequency.
These words can be stated more accurately in mathematicalterms. What is important here is that throughout this book any
phrases about “probability” have objective meanings whose
validity can be checked by experiment. They do not depend on
any subjective estimate.

of the type we have considered throughout the book till now. The
single-valued, determinate, transformation is thus simply a special, extreme, case of the stochastic. It is the stochastic in which
all the probabilities have become 0 or 1. This essential unity
should not be obscured by the fact that it is convenient to talksometimes of the determinate type and sometimes of the types inwhich the important aspect is the fractionality of the probabilities.
Throughout Part III the essential unity of the two types will play
an important part in giving unity to the various types of regulation.
The word “stochastic” can be used in two senses. It can be used
to mean “all types (with constant matrix of transition probabilities), the determinate included as a special case”, or it can mean“all types other than the determinate”. Both meanings can beused; but as they are incompatible, care must be taken that thecontext shows which is implied.

Ex. 1: Take the five playing cards Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5. Shuffle them, and lay them ina row to replace the asterisks in the transformation T:
Ace 2
3
4
5
T: ↓ *****Is the particular transformation so obtained determinate or not? (Hint: Is it
single-valued or not?)Ex. 2: What rule must hold over the numbers that appear in each column of amatrix of transition probabilities?
Ex. 3: Does any rule like that of Ex. 2 hold over the numbers in each row?
Ex. 4: If the transformation defined in this section starts at 4 and goes on for 10
steps, how many trajectories occur in the set so defined?
Ex. 5: How does the kinematic graph of the stochastic transformation differ fromthat of the determinate ?

9/3. The stochastic transformation is simply an extension of thedeterminate (or single valued). Thus, suppose the matrix of transition probabilities of a three-state system were:
↓

A

B

↓

C

A

B

C

1
0
first A 0 0.9 0.1 and then A 0
B 0.9 00
B 1
00
C 0.1 0.1 0.9
C 00
1
The change, from the first matrix to the second, though small (andcould be made as small as we please) has taken the system fromthe obviously stochastic type to that with the single-valued transformation:

↓ B
A

B
A
164

C
C

T HE MARKOV CHAI N
9/4. After eight chapters, we now know something about how a system changes if its transitions correspond to those of a singlevalued
transformation. What about the behaviour of a system whose transitions correspond to those of a stochastic transformation? Whatwould such a system look like if we met one actually working?
Suppose an insect lives in and about a shallow pool—sometimes in the water (W), sometimes under pebbles (P), and sometimes on the bank (B). Suppose that, over each unit interval oftime, there is a constant probability that, being under a pebble, itwill go up on the bank; and similarly for the other possible transitions. (We can assume, if we please, that its actual behaviour at
any instant is determined by minor details and events in its environment.) Thus a protocol of its positions might read:WBWBWPWBWBWBWPWBBWBWPWBWPWBWBWBBWBWBWBWPPWPWBWBBBWSuppose, for definiteness, that the transition probabilities are
↓

B

W

P

B 1/4 3/4 1/8
W 3/4 0 3/4
P 0 1/4 1/8
These probabilities would be found (S.9/2) by observing its
behaviour over long stretches of time, by finding the frequency of,say, B → W, and then finding the relative frequencies, which are165

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INCESSANT TRANSMISSION

the probabilities. Such a table would be, in essence, a summary ofactual past behaviour, extracted from the protocol.
Such a sequence of states, in which, over various long stretches,the probability of each transition is the same, is known as aMarkov chain, from the name of the mathematician who firstmade an extensive study of their properties. (Only during the last
decade or so has their great importance been recognised. The
mathematical books give various types of Markov chain and add
various qualifications. The type defined above will give us all wewant and will not clash with the other definitions, but an important qualification is mentioned in S.9/7.)
The term “Markov chain” is sometimes applied to a particular
trajectory produced by a system (e.g. the trajectory given in Ex. 1)
and sometimes to the system (defined by its matrix) which iscapable of producing many trajectories. Reference to the context
must show which is implied.

He can deduce that if it is in water it will not stay there, for W → W
has probability zero, but will go usually to the bank, for W → B
has the highest probability in the column. From the bank it willprobably go to the water, and then back to the bank. If under apebble it also tends to go to the water. So clearly it spends muchof its time oscillating between bank and water. Time spent under
the pebbles will be small. The protocol given, which was constructed with a table of random numbers, shows these properties.
Thus the matrix contains information about any particular system’s probable behaviour.

Ex. 1: A system of two states gave the protocol (of 50 transitions):
ABABBBABAABABABABBBBABAABABBAAB
A B B A B A A A B A B B A A B B A B B A.
Draw up an estimate of its matrix of transition probabilities.
Ex. 2: Use the method of S.9/2 (with the coin) to construct several trajectories,
so as to establish that one matrix can give rise to many different trajectories.
Ex. 3: Use a table of random numbers to generate a Markov chain on two states
A and B by the rule:
If
Then
Present state Random number next stateA
0 or 1A,,
2, 3 … 9BB
0, 1, 2, 3, 4
A,,
5, 6, 7, 8, 9
B
Ex. 4: (Continued.) What is its matrix of transition probabilities?

9/5. Ex. 9/4/1 shows how the behaviour of a system specifies its
matrix. Conversely, the matrix will yield information about thetendencies of the system, though not the particular details. Thus
suppose a scientist, not the original observer, saw the insect’s
matrix of transition probabilities:
↓

B

W

P

B 1/4 3/4 1/8
W 3/4 0 3/4
P 0 1/4 1/8
166

Ex. 1 Had the P-column of the matrix a 1 in the lowest cell and zero elsewhere,
what could be deduced about the insect’s mode of life ?
Ex. 2: A fly wanders round a room between positions A, B, C, and D, with transition probabilities:
B
C
D
↓ A
A 1/2
0
0
1/3
B 1/4
1
0
1/3
C 1/4
0
1/2 1/3D00
1/2
0One of the positions is an unpleasantly hot stove and another is a fly-paper.
Which are they ?
Ex. 3: If the protocol and matrix of Ex. 9/4/1 are regarded as codings of eachother, which is the direction of coding that loses information?

9/6. Equilibrium in a Markov chain. Suppose now that large numbers of such insects live in the same pond, and that each behaves
independently of the others. As we draw back from the pond theindividual insects will gradually disappear from view, and all wewill see are three grey clouds, three populations, one on the bank,
one in the water, and one under the pebbles. These three populations now become three quantities that can change with time. Ifthey are dB, dW, and dP respectively at some moment, then theirvalues at one interval later, dB' etc., can be found by considering
what their constituent individuals will do. Thus, of the insects inthe water, three-quarters will change over to B, and will add their
number on to dB, while a quarter will add their number to dP.
Thus, after the change the new population on the bank, dB', will be
1/4 dB + 3/4 dW + 1/8 dP . In general therefore the three populations
will change in accordance with the transformation (on the vector
with three components)
dB' = 1/4 dB + 3/4 dW + 1/8 dP
dw' = 3/4 dB+ 3/4dP
dP' =1/4 dW + 1/8dP
It must be noticed, as fundamentally important, that the system
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INCESSANT TRANSMISSION

composed of three populations (if large enough to be free fromsampling irregularities) is determinate, although the individual
insects behave only with certain probabilities.
To follow the process in detail let us suppose that we start anexperiment by forcing 100 of them under the pebbles and thenwatching what happens. The initial vector of the three populations(dB , dW, dP) will thus be (0, 0, 100). What the numbers will be at
the next step will be subject to the vagaries of random sampling;for it is not impossible that each of the hundred might stay under
the pebbles. On the average, however (i.e. the average if the whole
100 were tested over and over again) only about 12.5 would
remain there, the remainder going to the bank (12.5 also) and to
the water (75). Thus, after the first step the population will haveshown the change (0, 0, 100) → (12.5, 75, 12.5).
In this way the average numbers in the three populations may
be found, step by step, using the process of S.3/6. The next stateis thus found to be (60.9, 18.8, 20.3), and the trajectory of this system (of three degrees of freedom—not a hundred ) is shown in
Fig. 9/6/1.

The equilibrial values of a Markov chain are readily computed.
At equilibrium the values are unchanging, so dB', say, is equal to
dB. So the first line of the equation becomes
dB = 1/4 dB + 3/4 dW + 1/8 dPi.e.
0 = – 3/4 dB + 3/4 dW + 1/8 dP
The other lines are treated similarly. The lines are not all independent, however, for the three populations must, in this example,
sum to 100; one line (any one) is therefore struck out and replacedbydB + dW + dP = 100
The equations then become, e.g.,– 3/4 dB + 3/4 dW + 1/8 dP = 0
dW +dP = 100dB +1/4 dW – 7/8 dP = 0
which can be solved in the usual way. In this example the equilibrial values are (44 9, 42 9, 12 2); as S.9/S predicted, any individual insect does not spend much time under the pebbles.
Ex. 1: Find the populations that would follow the initial state of putting all theinsects on the bank.
Ex. 2: Verify the equilibrial values.
Ex. 3: A six-sided die was heavily biased by a weight hidden in face x. Whenplaced in a box with face f upwards and given a thorough shaking, the probability that it would change to face g was found, over prolonged testing, to
be:

↓

g
Fig. 9/6/1

1
2
3
4
5
6

f
1
0.1
0.1
0.5
0.1
0.1
0.1

2
0.1
0.1
0.5
0.1
0.1
0.1

3
0.1
0.1
0.5
0.1
0.1
0.1

4
0.1
0.1
0.5
0.1
0.1
0.1

5
0.1
0.1
0.5
0.1
0.1
0.1

6
0.1
0.1
0.5
0.1
0.1
0.1

It will be seen that the populations tend, through dying oscillations, to a state of equilibrium, at (44.9, 42.9, 12.2), at which thesystem will remain indefinitely. Here “the system” means, ofcourse, these three variables.
It is worth noticing that when the system has settled down, andis practically at its terminal populations, there will be a sharp contrast between the populations, which are unchanging, and theinsects, which are moving incessantly. The same pond can thus
provide two very different meanings to the one word “system”.
(“Equilibrium” here corresponds to what the physicist calls a“steady state”.)

Which is x? (Hint: Beware!)Ex. 4: A compound AB is dissolved in water. In each small interval of time eachmolecule has a 1% chance of dissociating, and each dissociated A has an
0.1% chance of becoming combined again. What is the matrix of transition
probabilities of a molecule, the two states being “dissociated” and “not dissociated”? (Hint: Can the number of B’s dissociated be ignored ?)Ex. 5: (Continued.) What is the equilibrial value of the percentage dissociated?
Ex. 6: Write out the transformations of (i) the individual insect’s transitions and(ii) the population’s transitions. How are they related ?
Ex. 7: How many states appear in the insect’s transitions? How many in the system of populations ?

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INCESSANT TRANSMISSION*Ex. 8: If D is the column vector of the populations in the various states, D' thevector one step later, and M the matrix of transition probabilities, show that,in ordinary matrix algebra,
D'=MD, D"=M2D, and D(n) = MnD.
(This simple and natural relation is lost if the matrix is written in transposed
form. Compare Ex. 2/16/3 and 12/8/4.)

These dependencies are characteristic in language, which contains many of them. They range from the simple linkages of thetype just mentioned to the long range linkages that make the ending “… of Kantian transcendentalism” more probable in a bookthat starts “The university of the eighteenth century…” than in
one that starts “The modern racehorse …”.

9/7. Dependence on earlier values. The definition of a Markov
chain, given in S.9/4, omitted an important qualification: theprobabilities of transition must not depend on states earlier thanthe operand. Thus if the insect behaves as a Markov chain it will
be found that when on the bank it will go to the water in 75% of
the cases, whether before being on the bank it was at bank, water,or pebbles. One would test the fact experimentally by collecting
the three corresponding percentages and then seeing if they were
all equal at 75%.
Here is a protocol in which the independence does not hold:Ex.: How are the four transitions C → C, C → D, D → C, and D → D affectedin frequency of occurrence by the state that immediately preceded each operand, in the protocol:
DDCCDCCDDCCDCCDDCCDCCDDCCDDDDDDDDC
C D D D C C D C C D C?
(Hint: Classify the observed transitions.)

AABBABBAABBABBABBABBAABBABBABABA

The transitions, on a direct count, are↓AB

A 3 10
B 10 8
In particular we notice that B is followed by A and B about
equally. If we now re-classify these 18 transitions from B according to what letter preceded the B we get:… AB was followed by  A: 2 times
B: 8 ,,
… BB ,,,,,,  A: 8 ,,B: 0 ,,
So what state follows B depends markedly on what state came
before the B. Thus this sequence is not a Markov chain. Sometimes the fact can be described in metaphor by saying that the system’s “memory” extends back for more than one state (compare
S.6/21).
This dependence of the probability on what came earlier is amarked characteristic of the sequences of letters given by a language such as English. Thus: what is the probability that an s will
be followed by a t? It depends much on what preceded the s; thus
es followed by t is common, but ds followed by t is rare. Were theletters a Markov chain, then s would be followed by t with thesame frequency in the two cases.
170

9/8. Re-coding to Markov form. When a system is found to produce trajectories in which the transition probabilities depend in aconstant way on what states preceded each operand, the system,
though not Markovian, can be made so by a method that is more
important than may at first seem—one re-defines the system.
Thus suppose that the system is like that of Ex. 9/7/1 (the preceding), and suppose that the transitions are such that after thetwo-state sequence … CC it always goes to D, regardless of what
occurred earlier, that after … DC it always goes to C, that after… CD it goes equally frequently in the long run to C and D, andsimilarly after … DD. We now simply define new states that arevectors, having two components—the earlier state as first component and the later one as second. Thus if the original system has
just produced a trajectory ending … DC, we say that the new system is at the state (D, C). If the original then moves on to state C,
so that its trajectory is now … DCC, we say that the new system
has gone on to the state (C, C). So the new system has undergone
the transition (D, C) → (C, C). These new states do form aMarkov chain, for their probabilities (as assumed here) do notdepend on earlier state in fact the matrix is
↓

(C,C)
(C,D)
(D,C)
(D,D)

(C,C) (C,D) (D,C) (D,D)
0
1
0
0

0
0
1/2
1/2

1
0
0
0

0
0
1/2
1/2

(Notice that the transition (C,D) → (C,D) is impossible; for any
state that ends (–,D) can only go to one that starts (D,–). Someother transitions are similarly impossible in the new system.)
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If, in another system, the transition probabilities depend on values occurring n steps back, then the new states must be defined as
vectors over n consecutive states.
The method of re-defining may seem artificial and pointless.
Actually it is of fundamental importance, for it moves our attention
from a system that is not state-determined to one that is. The new
system is better predictable, for its “state” takes account of the original system’s past history. Thus, with the original form, to knowthat the system was at state C did not allow one to say more thanthat it might go to either C or D. With the second form, to know that
it was at the state (D,C) enabled one to predict its behaviour withcertainty, just as with the original form one could predict with certainty when one knew what had happened earlier. What is important is that the method shows that the two methods of “knowing” asystem—by its present state or by its past history— have an exact
relation. The theory of the system that is not completely observable(S.6/21) made use of this fact in essentially the same way. We arethus led again to the conclusion that the existence of “memory” ina real system is not an intrinsic property of the system—we hypothesise its existence when our powers of observation are limited.
Thus, to say “that system seems to me to have memory” is equivalent to saying “my powers of observation do not permit me to makea valid prediction on the basis of one observation, but I can make avalid prediction after a sequence of observations”.

ent, would make possible. If the sequence is of finite length, e.g.
five spins of a coin, as in the previous paragraph, the constraint
can be identified and treated exactly as in S.7/11. When, however,
it is indefinitely long, as is often the case with sequences (whose
termination is often arbitrary and irrelevant) we must use someother method, without, however, changing what is essential.
What the method is can be found by considering how an infinitely long vector can be specified. Clearly such a vector cannot
be wholly arbitrary, in components and values, as was the vector
in S.3/5, for an infinity of time and paper would be necessary for
its writing down. Usually such indefinitely long vectors are specified by some process. First the value of the initial component isgiven and then a specified process (a transformation) is applied togenerate the further components in succession (like the “integration” of S.3/9).
We can now deduce what is necessary if a set of such vectors is
to show no constraint. Suppose we build up the set of “no constraint”, and proceed component by component. By S.7/12, the firstcomponent must take its full range of values; then each of these values must be combined with each of the second component’s possible values; and each of these pairs must be combined with each of
the third component’s possible values; and so on. The rule is that aseach new component is added, all its possible values must occur.
It will now be seen that the set of vectors with no constraint corresponds to the Markov chain that, at each transition, has all thetransitions equally probable. (When the probability becomes anactual frequency, lots of chains will occur, thus providing the setof sequences.) Thus, if there are three states possible to each component, the sequences of no constraint will be the set generated by
the matrix↓ A B C

9/9. Sequence as vector. In the earlier chapters we have often usedvectors, and so far they have always had a finite and definite
number of components. It is possible, however, for a vector tohave an infinite, or indefinitely large number of components. Provided one is cautious, the complication need cause little danger.
Thus a sequence can be regarded as a vector whose first component is the first value in the sequence, and so on to the n-th component, which is the n-th value. Thus if I spin a coin five times,
the result, taken as a whole, might be the vector with five components (H, T, T, H, T). Such vectors are common in the theory ofprobability, where they may be generated by repeated sampling.
If such a vector is formed by sampling with replacement, it has
only the slight peculiarity that each value comes from the same
component set, whereas a more general type, that of S.3/5 for
instance, can have a different set for each component.
9/10. Constraint in a set of sequences. A set of such sequences canshow constraint, just as a set of vectors can (S.7/11), by not having
the full range that the range of components, if they were independ172

A 1/3 1/3 1/3
B 1/3 1/3 1/3
C 1/3 1/3 1/3
Ex. 1: The exponential series defines an infinitely long vector with components:
2

3

4

x
x x
 1, x, ----, ----------, ------------------, … 
2 2⋅3 2⋅3⋅4
What transformation generates the series by obtaining each component fromthat on its left? (Hint: Call the components t1, t2, ..., etc.; ti' is the same as
t1+1.)
Ex. 2: Does the series produced by a true die show constraint ?
Ex. 3: (Continued.) Does the series of Ex. 9/4/3 ?

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EN TRO P Y
9/11. We have seen throughout S.7/5 and Chapter 8 how information cannot be transmitted in larger quantity than the quantity ofvariety allows. We have seen how constraint can lessen somepotential quantity of variety. And we have just seen, in the previous section, how a source of variety such as a Markov chain has
zero constraint when all its transitions are equally probable. It follows that this condition (of zero constraint) is the one that enables
the information source, if it behaves as a Markov chain, to transmit the maximal quantity of information (in given time).
Shannon has devised a measure for the quantity of variety shownby a Markov chain at each step—the entropy—that has proved offundamental importance in many questions relating to incessanttransmission. This measure is developed in the following way.
If a set has variety, and we take a sample of one item from theset, by some defined sampling process, then the various possible
results of the drawing will be associated with various, corresponding probabilities. Thus if the traffic lights have variety four, showing the combinations
1 Red
2 Red and Yellow
3 Green
4 Yellow,

0.6232 = – 0.3768; so the first term is ( – 0.42)( – 0.3768), whichis + 0.158; and similarly for the other terms.) Had the logs beentaken to the base 2 (S.7/7) the result would have been 1.63 bits.
The word “entropy” will be used in this book solely as it is usedby Shannon, any broader concept being referred to as “variety” orin some other way.

and if they are on for durations of 25, 5, 25 and 5 seconds respectively, then if a motorist turns up suddenly at irregular times hewould find the lights in the various states with frequencies ofabout 42, 8, 42 and 8% respectively. As probabilities these
become 0.42, 0.08, 0.42 and 0.08. Thus the state “Green” has (ifthis particular method of sampling be used) a probability of 0 42;
and similarly for the others.
Conversely, any set of probabilities—any set of positive fractions that adds up to 1—can be regarded as corresponding to some
set whose members show variety. Shannon’s calculation proceedsfrom the probabilities by the calculation, if the probabilities are
p1, p2, …, pn, of– p1 log p1 – p2 log p2 – … pn log pn ,Ex. 1: On 80 occasions when I arrived at a certain level-crossing it was closed on
14. What is the entropy of the set of probabilities?
Ex. 2: From a shuffled pack of cards one is drawn. Three events are distinguished:
E1 the drawing of the King of Clubs,
E2: the drawing of any SpadeE3: the drawing of any other card.
What is the entropy of the variety of the distinguishable events ?
Ex. 3: What is the entropy of the variety in one throw of an unbiased die ?
Ex. 4: What is the entropy in the variety of the set of possibilities of the outcomes(with their order preserved) of two successive throws of an unbiased die ?
Ex. 5: (Continued.) What is the entropy of n successive throws ?
*Ex. 6: What is the limit of –p log p as p tends to zero ?

9/12. The entropy so calculated has several important properties.
First, it is maximal, for a given number (n) of probabilities, when
the probabilities are all equal. H is then equal to log n, precisely
the measure of variety defined in S.7/7. (Equality of the probabilities, in each column, was noticed in S.9/10 to be necessary for theconstraint to be minimal, i.e. for the variety to be maximal.) Secondly, different H’s derived from different sets can, with suitable
qualifications, be combined to yield an average entropy.
Such a combination is used to find the entropy appropriate to a
Markov chain. Each column (or row if written in the transposedform) has a set of probabilities that sum to 1. Each can therefore
provide an entropy. Shannon defines the entropy (of one step of
the chain) as the average of these entropies, each being weighted
by the proportion in which that state, corresponding to the column, occurs when the sequence has settled to its equilibrium (S.9/
6). Thus the transition probabilities of that section, with corresponding entropies and equilibrial proportions shown below, area quantity which he calls the entropy of the set of probabilities
and which he denotes by H. Thus if we take logs to the base 10,
the entropy of the set associated with the traffic lights is– 0.42 log100.42 – 0.08 log100.08 – 0.42 log100.42 – 0.08 log100.08
which equals 0.492. (Notice that log10 0.42 = 1.6232 = –1.0000 +BWP↓
B 1/4 3/4 1/8
W 3/4
0
3/4
P
0
1/4 1/8
Entropy: 0.811 0.811 1.061
Equilibrial proportion: 0.449 0.429 0.122

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Then the average entropy (per step in the sequence) is0.449 × 0.811 + 0.429 × 0.811 + 0.122 × 1.061 = 0.842 bits.

(2) If applied to an information source, with several sets of probabilities, the matrix of transition probabilities must be Markovian;that is to say, the probability of each transition must depend only
on the state the system is at (the operand) and not on the states it
was at earlier (S.9/7). If necessary, the states of the source should
first be re-defined, as in S.9/8, so that it becomes Markovian.
(3) The several entropies of the several columns are averaged(S.9/12) using the proportions of the terminal equilibrium (S.9/6).
It follows that the theorems assume that the system, however it
was started, has been allowed to go on for a long time so that thestates have reached their equilibrial densities.
Shannon’s results must therefore be applied to biological material only after a detailed check on their applicability has been made.
A similar warning may be given before any attempt is made toplay loosely, and on a merely verbal level, with the two entropiesof Shannon and of statistical mechanics. Arguments in these subjects need great care, for a very slight change in the conditions orassumptions may make a statement change from rigorously true
to ridiculously false. Moving in these regions is like moving in ajungle full of pitfalls. Those who know most about the subject areusually the most cautious in speaking about it.

A coin spun repeatedly produces a series with entropy, at eachspin, of 1 bit. So the series of locations taken by one of the insects
as time goes on is not quite so variable as the series produced by
a spun coin, for 0.842 is less than 1.00. In this way Shannon’smeasure enables different degrees of variety to be compared.
The reason for taking a weighted average is that we start byfinding three entropies: 0.811, 0.811, and 1.061; and from them
we want one. Were they all the same we would obviously just usethat value, but they are not. We can, however, argue thus: Whenthe system has reached equilibrium, 45°/O of the insects will be atstate B, 43% at W, and 12% at P. This is equivalent, as the insects
circulate between all the states, to saying that each insect spends
45% of its time at B, 43% at W, and 12% at P. In other words, 45%of its transitions will be from B, 43% from W, and 12% from P.
Thus 45% of its transitions will be with entropy, or variety, of
0.811, 43% also with 0.811, and 12% with 1.061. Thus, transitions with an entropy of 0.811 will be frequent (and the value“0.811” should count heavily) and those with an entropy of 1.061
will be rather rare (and the value “1.061” should count little). So
the average is weighted: 88% in favour of 0.811 and 12% infavour of 1.061, i.e.
45 × 0.811 + 43 × 0.811 + 12 × 1.061
weighted average = -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------45 + 43 + 12
which is, effectively, what was used above.

Ex. 1: Work out mentally the entropy of the matrix with transition probabilities

↓

A

B

C

A
B
C

0.2
0.7
0.1

0
1.0
0

0.3
0.3
0.4

Ex. 1: Show that the series of H’s and T’s produced by a spun coin has an average
entropy of 1 bit per spin. (Hint: Construct the matrix of transition probabilities.)
Ex. 2: (Continued.) What happens to the entropy if the coin is biased ? (Hint: Try
the effect of changing the probabilities.)(Hint: This is not a feat of calculation but of finding a peculiar simplicity.
What does that 1 in the main diagonal mean (Ex. 9/5/1)? So what is the final
equilibrium of the system? Do the entropies of columns A and C matter? And
what is the entropy of B’s column (Ex. 9/11/6)?)
Ex. 2: (Continued.) Explain the paradox: “When the system is at A there is variety or uncertainty in the next state, so the entropy cannot be zero.”

9/13. Before developing the subject further, it is as well to noticethat Shannon’s measure, and the various important theorems thatuse it, make certain assumptions. These are commonly fulfilled intelephone engineering but are by no means so commonly fulfilledin biological work, and in the topics discussed in this book. His
measure and theorems must therefore be applied cautiously. His
main assumptions are as follows.
(1) If applied to a set of probabilities, the various fractions must
add up to 1; the entropy cannot be calculated over an incomplete
set of possibilities.

9/14. A little confusion has sometimes arisen because Shannon’smeasure of “entropy”, given over a set of probabilities P1, P2, ….
is the sum of Pi log Pi, multiplied by –1 whereas the definition
given by Wiener in his Cybernetics for “amount of information”
is the same sum of Pi log Pi unchanged (i.e. multiplied by +1).
(The reader should notice that p log p is necessarily negative, so
the multiplier “–1” makes it a positive number.)
There need however be no confusion, for the basic ideas are
identical. Both regard information as “that which removes uncer-

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tainty”, and both measure it by the amount of uncertainty it
removes. Both further are concerned basically with the gain or
increase in information that occurs when a message arrives—theabsolute quantities present before or after being of minor interest.
Now it is clear that when the probabilities are well spread, as in
A of Fig. 9/14/1, the uncertainty is greater than when they arecompact, as in B.

Thus the two measures are no more discrepant than are the two
ways of measuring “how far is point Q to the right of point P”
shown in Fig. 9/14/2.

Fig. 9/14/2

Fig. 9/14/1

So the receipt of a message that makes the recipient revise his estimate, of what will happen, from distribution A to distribution B,
contains a positive amount of information. Now Σp log p (whereΣ means “the sum of”), if applied to A, will give a more negative
number than if applied to B; both will be negative but A’s will be
the larger in absolute value. Thus A might give–20 for the sum
and B might give –3. If we use Σp log p multiplied by plus 1 asamount of information to be associated with each distribution, i.e.
with each set of probabilities, then as, in general,
Gain (of anything) = Final quantity minus initial quantity
so the gain of information will be( – 3) – (– 20)
which is + 17, a positive quantity, which is what we want. Thus,
looked at from this point of view, which is Wiener’s, Σp log p
should be multiplied by plus 1, i.e. left unchanged; then we calculate the gain.
Shannon, however, is concerned throughout his book with thespecial case in which the received message is known with certainty. So the probabilities are all zero except for a single I. Oversuch a set Σp log p is just zero; so the final quantity is zero, andthe gain of information is0 – (initial quantity).
In other words, the information in the message, which equals thegain in information, is Σp log p calculated over the initial distribution, multiplied by minus 1, which gives Shannon’s measure.
178

Here P and Q can be thought of as corresponding to two degrees
of uncertainty, with more certainty to the right, and with a message shifting the recipient from P to Q.
The distance from P to Q can be measured in two ways, which
are clearly equivalent. Wiener’s way is to lay the rule against P
and Q (as W in the Fig.); then the distance that Q lies to the rightof P is given by(Q’s reading) minus (P’s reading).
Shannon’s way (S in the Fig.) is to lay the zero opposite Q, andthen the distance that Q is to the right of P is given byminus (P’s reading).
There is obviously no real discrepancy between the two methods.
9/15. Channel capacity. It is necessary to distinguish two ways ofreckoning “entropy” in relation to a Markov chain, even after theunit (logarithmic base) has been decided. The figure calculated in
S.9/12, from the transition probabilities, gives the entropy, orvariety to be expected, at the next, single, step of the chain. Thus
if an unbiased coin has already given T T H H T H H H H, theuncertainty of what will come next amounts to I bit. The symbolthat next follows has also an uncertainty of 1 bit; and so on. So thechain as a whole has an uncertainty, or entropy, of 1 bit per step.
Two steps should then have an uncertainty, or variety, of 2 bits,
and this is so; for the next two steps can be any one of HH, HT,
TH or TT, with probabilities 1/4, 1/4, 1/4 and 14, which gives H= 2 bits. Briefly it can be said that the entropy of a length ofMarkov chain is proportional to its length (provided always thatit has settled down to equilibrium).
Quite another way of making the measurement on the chain is179

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introduced when one considers how fast in time the chain is being
produced by some real physical process. So far this aspect has
been ignored, the sole graduation being in terms of the chain’s
own steps. The new scale requires only a simple rule of proportion
for its introduction. Thus if (as in S.9/12) the insects’ “unit time”
for one step is twenty seconds, then as each 20 seconds produces
0 84 bits, 60 seconds will produce (60/20)0 84 bits; so each insect
is producing variety of location at the rate of 2 53 bits per minute.
Such a rate is the most natural way of measuring the capacity ofa channel, which is simply anything that can be driven by its input
to take, at each moment, one of a variety of states, and which cantransmit that state to some receiver. The rate at which it can transmit depends both on how fast the steps can succeed one anotherand on the variety available at each step.
It should be noticed that a “channel” is defined in cybernetics
purely in terms of certain behavioural relations between two
points; if two points are so related then a “channel” exists between
them, quite independently of whether any material connexion canbe seen between them. (Consider, for instance, Exs. 4/15/2, 6/7/
1.) Because of this fact the channels that the cyberneticist sees
may be very different from those seen by one trained in anotherscience. In elementary cases this is obvious enough. No one
denies the reality of some functional connexion from magnet tomagnet, though no experiment has yet demonstrated any intermediate structure.
Sometimes the channel may follow an unusual path. Thus thebrain requires information about what happens after it has emitted“commands” to an organ, and usually there is a sensory nervefrom organ to brain that carries the “monitoring” information.
Monitoring the vocal cords, therefore, may be done by a sensory
nerve from cords to brain. An effective monitoring, however, canalso be achieved without any nerve in the neck by use of the soundwaves, which travel through the air, linking vocal cords and brain,
via the ear. To the anatomist this is not a channel, to the communication engineer it is. Here we need simply appreciate that eachis right within his own branch of science.
More complex applications of this principle exist. Suppose we
ask someone whether 287 times 419 is 118213; he is likely to reply“I can’t do it in my head—give me pencil and paper”. Holding thenumbers 287 and 419, together with the operation “multiply”, asparameters he will then generate a process (a transient in the terminology of S.4/5) which will set up a series of impulses passing
down the nerves of his arm, generating a series of pencil marks on

the paper, then the marks will affect his retina and so on to his brain
where an interaction will occur with the trace (whatever that maybe) of “118213”; he will then give a final answer. What we must
notice here is that this process, from brain, through motor cortex,
arm, pencil, marks, light rays, retina, and visual cortex back tobrain, is, to the communication engineer, a typical “channel”, linking “transmitter” to “receiver”. To the cyberneticist, therefore, thewhite matter, and similar fibres, are not the only channels of communication available to the brain: some of the communication
between part and part may take place through the environment.

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181

9/16. Redundancy. In S.7/14 it was stated that when a constraint
exists, advantage can usually be taken of it. An illustration of thisthesis occurs when the transmission is incessant.
For simplicity, reconsider the traffic lights —Red, Yellow, andGreen—that show only the combinations(1) Red(2) Red and Yellow(3) Green(4) Yellow.
Each component (each lamp or colour) can be either lit or unlit, so
the total variety possible, if the components were independent
would be 8 states. In fact, only 4 combinations are used, so the set
shows constraint.
Now reconsider these facts after recognising that a variety offour signals is necessary:(i) Stop(ii) Prepare to go(iii) Go(iv) Prepare to stop.
If we have components that can each take two values, + or –, we can
ask how many components will be necessary to give this variety.
The answer is obviously two; and by a suitable re-coding, such as+ + = Stop
+ – = Prepare to go– – = Go– + = Prepare to stop
the same variety can be achieved with a vector of only two components. The fact that the number of components can be reduced(from three to two) without loss of variety can be expressed by

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INCESSANT TRANSMISSION

saying that the first set of vectors shows redundancy, here of one
lamp.
The constraint could clearly be taken advantage of. Thus, if
electric lights were very expensive, the cost of the signals, when
re-coded to the new form, would be reduced to two-thirds.
Exactly the same lights may also show quite a different redundancy if regarded as the generators of a different set of vectors.
Suppose that the lights are clock-operated, rather than traffic-operated, so that they go through the regular cycle of states (asnumbered above)...3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, ...

some arbitrariness. (Compare S.6114.) There is therefore every
temptation to let one’s grasp of the set under discussion be intuitive and vague rather than explicit and exact. The reader may
often find that some intractable contradiction between two arguments will be resolved if a more accurate definition of the set
under discussion is achieved; for often the contradiction is due tothe fact that the two arguments are really referring to two distinct
sets, both closely associated with the same object or organism.

The sequence that it will produce (regarded as a vector, S.9/9)
can only be one of the four vectors:(i) (1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, …)(ii) (2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, …)(iii) (3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, …)(iv) (4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, …)

Ex. 1: In a Table for the identification of bacteria by their power to ferment sugars, 62 species are noted as producing “acid”, “acid and gas”, or “nothing”
from each of 14 sugars. Each species thus corresponds to a vector of 14 components, each of which can take one of three values. Is the set redundant ?
To how many components might the vector be reduced ?
Ex. 2: If a Markov chain has no redundancy, how may its matrix be recognised
at a glance?

all the components after the first being omitted; so all the latercomponents are redundant.
Thus a sequence can show redundancy if at each step the next
value has not complete independence of the earlier steps. (Compare S.9/10.) If the sequence is a Markov chain, redundancy will
be shown by its entropy having a value less than the maximum.
The fact that the one set of traffic lights provides two grossly
different sets of vectors illustrates yet again that great care is necessary when applying these concepts to some object, for the object
often provides a great richness of sets for discussion. Thus thequestion “Do traffic lights show redundancy?” is not admissible;
for it fails to indicate which of the sets of vectors is being considered; and the answer may vary grossly from set to set.
This injunction is particularly necessary in a book addressed toworkers in biological subjects, for here the sets of vectors areoften definable only with some difficulty, helped out perhaps with

9/17. It is now possible to state what is perhaps the most fundamental of the theorems introduced by Shannon. Let us supposethat we want to transmit a message with H bits per step, as wemight want to report on the movements of a single insect in thepool. H is here 0 84 bits per step (S.9/12), or, as the telegraphist
would say, per symbol, thinking of such a series as … P W B W
B B B W P P P W B W P W …. Suppose, for definiteness, that 20
seconds elapse between step and step. Since the time-rate of these
events is now given, H can also be stated as 2.53 bits per minute.
Shannon’s theorem then says that any channel with this capacity
can carry the report, and that it cannot be carried by any channel
with less than this capacity. It also says that a coding always exists
by which the channel can be so used.
It was, perhaps, obvious enough that high-speed channels could
report more than slow; what is important about this theorem is,first, its great generality (for it makes no reference to any specificmachinery, and therefore applies to telegraphs, nerve-fibres, conversation, equally) and secondly its quantitative rigour. Thus, if
the pond were far in the hills, the question might occur whether
smoke signals could carry the report. Suppose a distinct puff
could be either sent or not sent in each quarter-minute, but not
faster. The entropy per symbol is here I bit, and the channel’s
capacity is therefore 4 bits per minute. Since 4 is greater than 2 53,
the channel can do the reporting, and a code can be found, turning
positions to puffs, that will carry the information.
Shannon has himself constructed an example which shows
exquisitely the exactness of this quantitative law. Suppose a

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183

Were there independence at each step, as one might get from afour-sided die, and n components, the variety would be 4n; in fact
it is only 4. To make the matter quite clear, notice that the same
variety could be obtained by vectors with only one component:(i) (1)(ii) (2)(iii) (3)(iv) (4)A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

INCESSANT TRANSMISSION

source is producing letters A, B, C, D with frequencies in the ratio
of 4, 2, 1, 1 respectively, the successive symbols being independent. A typical portion of the sequence would be … B A A B D A
A A A B C A B A A D A .... At equilibrium the relative frequencies of A, B, C, D would be 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/8 respectively, and theentropy is 14 bits per step (i.e. per letter).
Now a channel that could produce, at each step, any one of fourstates without constraint would have a capacity of 2 bits per step.
Shannon’s theorem says that there must exist a coding that will
enable the latter channel (of capacity 2 bits per step) to transmit
such a sequence (with entropy 1 3/4 bits per step) so that any longmessage requires fewer steps in the ratio of 2 to 1 3/4, i.e. of 8 to
7. The coding, devised by Shannon, that achieves this is as follows. First code the message by

Ex. 2: Printed English has an entropy of about 10 bits per word. We can readabout 200 words per minute. Give a lower bound to the channel capacity ofthe optic nerve.
Ex. 3: If a pianist can put each of ten fingers on any one of three notes, and cando this 300 times a minute, find a lower bound to the channel capacity of thenerves to the upper limbs.
Ex. 4: A bank’s records, consisting of an endless sequence of apparently random
digits, O to 9, are to be encoded into Braille for storage. If 10,000 digits areto be stored per hour, how fast must the Braille be printed if optimal coding
is used? (Hint: There are 64 symbols in the Braille “alphabet”.)

↓

A
0

B C D
10 110 111

e.g. the message above,
B . AAB . D . . AAAAB . C . . AB . AAD . . A↓100010111000010110010001110

Now divide the lower line into pairs and re-code into a new set ofletters by
00 01 10 11↓ E F G H
These codes convert any message in “A to D” into the letters “Eto H”, and conversely, without ambiguity. What is remarkable isthat if we take a typical set of eight of the original letters (eachrepresented with its typical frequency) we find that they can betransmitted as seven of the new:A A A A B . B . C . . D . .
↓0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1. E . E . G . G . H . F . H
thus demonstrating the possibility of the compression, a compression that was predicted quantitatively by the entropy of the original message!

9/18. One more example will be given, to show the astonishingpower that Shannon’s method has of grasping the essentials incommunication. Consider the system, of states a, b, c, d, with transition probabilities
↓

a

b

c

d

a
b
c
d

0
0.6
0.4
0

0
0.6
0.4
0

0.3
0
0
0.7

0.3
0
0
0.7

A typical sequence would be…b b b c a b c a b b c d d a c d a b c a c d d d d d d a b b…
The equilibrial probabilities are 6/35, 9/35, 6/35, 14/35 respectively. The entropy is soon found to be 0.92 bits per letter. Now
suppose that the distinction between a and d is lost, i.e. code by
a

b
c
d
b
c
X
Surely some information must be lost? Let us see. There are
now only three states X, b, c, where X means “either a or d”. Thus
the previous message would now start … b b b c X b c X b b c X
X X c .... The transition probabilities are found to be

↓ X

↓

X

b

c

X 0.70b 0.18c 0.12

0
0.6
0.4

1
0
0

Ex. 1: Show that the coding gives a one-one correspondence between message
sent and message received (except for a possible ambiguity in the first letter).

(Thus c → X must be 1 because c always went to either a or d; thetransitions from a and from d need weighting by the (equilibrial)
probabilities of being at a or d.) The new states have equilibrial

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probabilities of X, 20/35; b, 9/35; c, 6/35 and entropies of Hx,
1.173; Hb, 0.971; Hc, 0. So the entropy of the new series is 0.92
bits per letter—exactly the same as before!
This fact says uncompromisingly that no information was lostwhen the d’s and a’s were merged to X’s. It says, therefore, that
there must be some way of restoring the original four-letter message from the three, of telling which of the X’s were a’s and whichwere d’s. Closer examination shows that this can be done, strikingly verifying the rather surprising prediction.

in other sciences need not follow suit. In biology especially“noise” will seldom refer to this particular source; more commonly, the “noise” in one system will be due to some other macroscopic system from which the system under study cannot becompletely isolated.
Should the two (or more) messages be completely and simultaneously recoverable, by de-coding of the output, the concept of noise
is of little use. Chiefly it is wanted when the two messages (onewanted, one unwanted) interact with some mutual destruction,
making the coding not fully reversible. To see this occur let us goback to the fundamental processes. The irreversibility must meanthat the variety is not sustained (S.8/6), and that distinct elements at
the inputs are represented at the output by one element. Consider
the case in which the input is a vector with two components,

Ex.: How is
bbbcXbcXbbcXXXcXXbcXcXXXXXXXbb
to be de-coded to its original form?

NOISE

the first having possible values of A, B or C,, second,,,,,,,, E, F or G.
Suppose the output is a variable that can take values 1, 2, …, 9,
and that the coding was

9/19. It may happen that the whole input to a transducer can bedivided into two or more components, and we wish to consider thecomponents individually. This happened in Ex. 8/17/3, where thetwo messages were sent simultaneously through the same transducer and recovered separately at the output. Sometimes, however, the two inputs are not both completely deducible from theoutput. If we are interested solely in one of the input components,
as a source of variety, regarding the other as merely an unavoidable nuisance, then the situation is commonly described as that ofa “message corrupted by noise”.
It must be noticed that noise is in no intrinsic way distinguishable from any other form of variety. Only when some recipient isgiven, who will state which of the two is important to him, is a distinction between message and noise possible. Thus suppose thatover a wire is coming both some conversation and some effects
from a cathode that is emitting irregularly. To someone whowants to hear the conversation, the variations at the cathode are“noise”; but to the engineer who is trying to make accurate measurements of what is going on at the cathode, the conversation is“noise”. “Noise” is thus purely relative to some given recipient,
who must say which information he wants to ignore.
The point is worth emphasis because, as one of the commonest
sources of uninteresting variety in electronic systems is the thermal dance (Brownian movement) of the molecules and electrons,
electronic engineers tend to use the word “noise” without qualification to mean this particular source. Within their speciality they
will probably continue to use the word in this sense, but workers

and reversible.
It will be noticed that the interaction occurred because only
eight of the nine possible output states were used. By this permanent restriction, the capacity of the channel was reduced.

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187

AE AF AG BE BF BG CE CF CG
4
2
2
9
1
3
7
5
If now the input message were the sequence B A C B A CA A B B,
while the “noise” gave simultaneously the sequence G F FE E E
G F G E, then the output would be
1, 4, 7, 2, 6, 3, 2, 4, 1, 2

↓ 6

and the de-coding could give, for the first component, only theapproximation
B, A, C, A or B, A, C, A or B, A, B, A or B.
Thus the original message to this input has been “corrupted” by“noise” at the other input.
In this example the channel is quite capable of carrying the message without ambiguity if the noise is suppressed by the second
input being held constant, at E say. For then the coding is one-one:
A

↓ 6

B
2

C
3

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Ex. 1: What is the coding, of first input to output, if the second output is kept constant (i) at F; (ii) at G?
Ex. 2: A system of three states —P, Q, R—is to transmit changes at two inputs,
α and β, each of which can take two states. The states of the inputs and of
the system change in step. Is noise-free transmission possible ?

measure for the amount of information lost, but this interpretation
leads to nonsense. Thus if, in the same transmission, the line wereactually cut and the recipient simply tossed a coin to get a “message” he would get about a half of the symbols right, yet no information whatever would have been transmitted. Shannon has
shown conclusively that the natural measure is the equivocation,
which is calculated as follows.
First find the entropy over all possible classes:– 0.495 log 0.495 – 0.005 log 0.005– 0.005 log 0.005 – 0.495 log 0.495

9/20. Distortion. It should be noticed that falsification of a message is not necessarily identical with the effect of noise. “If a particular transmitted signal always produces the same received
signal, i.e. the received signal is a definite function of the transmitted signal, then the effect may be called distortion. If this function has an inverse—no two transmitted signals producing thesame received signal—distortion may be corrected, at least in
principle, by merely performing the inverse functional operationon the received signal.” (Shannon.)Ex. 1: Is the change by which the erect object falls on to the retina inverted a distortion or a corruption ?
Ex. 2: A tension applied to a muscle evokes a steady stream of impulses whose
frequency is not proportional to the tension. Is the deviation from proportionality a distortion or a corruption?
Ex. 3: (Continued.) If the nerve carrying the impulses is subjected to alcohol
vapour of sufficient strength it will cease to conduct for all tensions. Is thisa distortion or a corruption?

9/21. Equivocation. A suitable measure for the degree of corruption has not, so far as I am aware, been developed for use in thebasic cases. In the case of the channel that transmits incessantly,
however, Shannon has developed the appropriate measure.
It is assumed first that both the original signals and the received
signals form Markov chains of the type defined in S.9/4. The dataof the messages can then be presented in a form which shows thefrequencies (or probabilities) with which all the possible combinations of the vector (symbol sent, symbol received) occur. Thus,
to use an example of Shannon’s suppose 0’s and 1’s are being
sent, and that the probabilities (here relative frequencies) of thesymbols being received are:Symbol sent00
11
Symbol received 01
01
Probability
0.495 0.005 0.005 0.495
Of every thousand symbols sent, ten arrive in the wrong form, anerror of one per cent.
At first sight this “one per cent wrong” might seem the natural
188

Call this H1 it is 1.081 bits per symbol. Next collect together thereceived signals, and their probabilities; this gives the table
Symbol received 0
Probability
0.5

1
0.5

Find its entropy:– 0.5 log 0.5 – 0.5 log 0.5
Call this H2. It is 1.000 bits per symbol. Then the equivocation isH1 – H2 : 0.081 bits per symbol.
The actual rate at which information is being transmitted,
allowance being made for the effect of noise, is the entropy of thesource, less the equivocation. The source here has entropy 1.000
bits per symbol, as follows from:
Symbol sent
0
1
Probability
0.5
0.5
So the original amount supplied is 1.000 bits per symbol. Of this
0.919 gets through and 0.081 is destroyed by noise.
Ex. 1: What is the equivocation of the transmission of S.9/19, if all nine combinations of letters occur, in the long run, with equal frequency?
Ex. 2: (Continued.) What happens to the equivocation if the first input uses only
the symbols B and C, so that the combinations BE, BF, BG, CE, CF, CG
occur with equal frequencies? Is the answer reasonable?
*Ex. 3: Prove the following rules, which are useful when we want to find thevalue of the expression–p loga p, and p is either very small or very near to 1:(i) If p = xy, – p log a p = – xy ( log ax + log ay );–z

z × 10–z(ii) If p = 10 , – p log a p = ------------------- ;log 10a21q(iii) If p is very close to 1, put 1 – p = q , and – p log a p = -------------  q – ----- …
log ea 
2 

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Ex. 4: Find –p log2 p when p is 0.00025. (Hint: Write p as 2.5 × 10–4 and use (i)).
Ex. 5: During a blood count, lymphocytes and monocytes are being examined
under the microscope and discriminated by the haematologist. If he mistakes
one in every hundred lymphocytes for a monocyte, and one in every two
hundred monocytes for a lymphocyte, and if these cells occur in the blood in
the ratio of 19 lymphocytes to 1 monocyte, what is his equivocation? (Hint:
Use the results of the previous two exercises.)

whether by growth in embryogeny or by some functional taking-over in learning.
The full impact of this theorem on neuropsychology has yet to
be felt. Its power lies not so much in its ability to solve the problem “How does the brain overcome the ever-increasing corruptionof its internal messages?” as in its showing that the problem
hardly arises, or that it is a minor, rather than a major, one.
The theorem illustrates another way in which cybernetics canbe useful in biology. Cybernetic methods may be decisive in thetreatment of certain difficult problems not by a direct winning of
the solution but by a demonstration that the problem is wrongly
conceived, or based on an erroneous assumption.
Some of today’s outstanding problems about the brain andbehaviour come to us from mediaeval and earlier times, when thebasic assumptions were very different and often, by today’s standards, ludicrously false. Some of these problems are probably
wrongly put, and are on a par with the problem, classic in mediaeval medicine: what are the relations between the four elements
and the four humours? This problem, be it noticed, was neversolved—what happened was that when chemists and pathologists
got to know more about the body they realised that they must
ignore it.
Some of our classic problems in the brain—perhaps some ofthose relating to localisation, causation, and learning—may well
be found to be of this type. It seems likely that the new insight
given by cybernetics may enable us to advance to a better discrimination; if this happens, it will dispose of some questions by aclear demonstration that they should not be asked.

9/22. Error-free transmission. We now come to Shannon’s fundamental theorem on the transmission of information in the presenceof noise (i.e. when other, irrelevant, inputs are active). It might bethought that when messages are sent through a channel that subjects each message to a definite chance of being altered at random,
then the possibility of receiving a message that is correct with certainty would be impossible. Shannon however has shown conclusively that this view, however plausible, is mistaken. Reliable
messages can be transmitted over an unreliable channel. The
reader who finds this incredible must go to Shannon’s book forthe proof; here I state only the result.
Let the information to be transmitted be of quantity H, and suppose the equivocation to be E, so that information of amount H–E
is received. (It is assumed, as in all Shannon’s book, that the transmission is incessant.) What the theorem says is that if the channel
capacity be increased by an amount not less than E—by the provision perhaps of another channel in parallel—then it is possible soto encode the messages that the fraction of errors still persisting
may be brought as near zero as one pleases. (The price of a verysmall fraction of errors is delay in the transmission, for enoughmessage-symbols must accumulate to make the average of theaccumulated material approach the value of the average over all
time.)
Conversely, with less delay, one can still make the errors as few
as one pleases by increasing the channel capacity beyond the minimal quantity E.
The importance of this theorem can hardly be overestimated inits contribution to our understanding of how an intricately connected system such as the cerebral cortex can conduct messages
without each message gradually becoming so corrupted by error
and interference as to be useless. What the theorem says is that if
plenty of channel capacity is available then the errors may be
kept down to any level desired. Now in the brain, and especiallyin the cortex there is little restriction in channel capacity, formore can usually be obtained simply by the taking of more fibres,
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PART THREERE GUL AT I ON AND CONT ROL
The fourldation of all physiology must be the physiologyof permanence.
(Darlington)

REGULATION IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

10

Chapter

REG UL AT ION IN B IOL OGIC AL
SYST E M S
10/1. The two previous Parts have treated of Mechanism (and theprocesses within the system) and Variety (and the processes ofcommunication between system and system). These two subjects
had to be studied first, as they are fundamental. Now we shall use
them, and in Part III we shall study what is the central theme ofcybernetics —regulation and control.
This first chapter reviews the place of regulation in biology, andshows briefly why it is of fundamental importance. It shows how
regulation is essentially related to the flow of variety. The next
chapter (11) studies this relation in more detail, and displays aquantitative law—that the quantity of regulation that can beachieved is bounded by the quantity of information that can betransmitted in a certain channel. The next chapter (12) takes up thequestion of how the abstract principles of chapter 11 are to beembodied—what sort of machinery can perform what is wanted.
This chapter introduces a new sort of machine, the Markovian,which extends the possibilities considered in Part I. The remaining chapters consider the achievement of regulation and control as
the difficulties increase, particularly those that arise when the system becomes very large.
At first, in Part III, we will assume that the regulator is alreadyprovided, either by being inborn, by being specially made by amanufacturer, or by some other means. The question of whatmade the regulator, of how the regulator, which does such usefulthings, came itself to be made will be taken up at S.13/10.
10/2. The present chapter aims primarily at supplying motive tothe reader, by showing that the subjects discussed in the later
chapters (11 onwards) are of fundamental importance in biology.
The subject of regulation in biology is so vast that no single chapter can do it justice. Cannon’s Wisdom of the Body treated it adequately so far as internal, vegetative activities are concerned, but
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there has yet to be written the book, much larger in size, that shallshow how all the organism’s exteriorly-directed activities—its“higher” activities—are all similarly regulatory, i.e. homeostatic.
In this chapter I have had to leave much of this to the reader’s
imagination, trusting that, as a biologist, he will probably alreadybe sufficiently familiar with the thesis. The thesis in any case has
been discussed to some extent in Design for a Brain.
The chief purpose of this chapter is to tie together the conceptsof regulation, information, and survival, to show how intimately
they are related, and to show how all three can be treated by amethod that is entirely uniform with what has gone before in thebook, and that can be made as rigorous, objective, and unambiguous as one pleases.

10/4. What has just been said is well enough known. It enables us,
however, to join these facts on to the ideas developed in this bookand to show the connexion exactly.
For consider what is meant, in general, by “survival”. Supposea mouse is trying to escape from a cat, so that the survival of themouse is in question. As a dynamic system, the mouse can be ina variety of states; thus it can be in various postures, its head canbe turned this way or that, its temperature can have various values, it may have two ears or one. These different states may occur
during its attempt to escape and it may still be said to have survived. On the other hand if the mouse changes to the state inwhich it is in four separated pieces, or has lost its head, or has
become a solution of amino-acids circulating in the cat’s bloodthen we do not consider its arrival at one of these states as corresponding to “survival”.
The concept of “survival” can thus be translated into perfectly
rigorous terms, similar to those used throughout the book. The
various states (M for Mouse) that the mouse may be in initiallyand that it may pass into after the affair with the cat is a set M1,
M2, …, Mk, …, Mn. We decide that, for various reasons of what ispractical and convenient, we shall restrict the words “living
mouse” to mean the mouse in one of the states in some subset ofthese possibilities, in M1 to Mk say. If now some operation C (forcat) acts on the mouse in state Mi, and C(Mi) gives, say, M2, thenwe may say that M has “survived” the operation of C, for M2 is in
the set M1, … Mk.
If now a particular mouse is very skilled and always survives
the operation C, then all the states C(M1), C(M2), …, C(Mk), arecontained in the set M1, …, Mk. We now see that this representation of survival is identical with that of the “stability” of a set (S.5/
5). Thus the concepts of “survival” and “stability” can be brought
into an exact relationship; and facts and theorems about either canbe used with the other, provided the exactness is sustained.
The states M are often defined in terms of variables. The states
M1, …, Mk, that correspond to the living organism are then thosestates in which certain essential variables are kept within
assigned (“physiological”) limits.

10/3. The foundation. Let us start at the beginning. The most basic
facts in biology are that this earth is now two thousand million
years old, and that the biologist studies mostly that which exists
today. From these two facts follow a well-known deduction,
which I would like to restate in our terms.
We saw in S.4/23 that if a dynamic system is large and composed of parts with much repetition, and if it contains any property that is autocatalytic, i.e. whose occurrence at one point
increases the probability that it will occur again at another point,then such a system is, so far as that property is concerned, essentially unstable in its absence. This earth contained carbon andother necessary elements, and it is a fact that many combinationsof carbon, nitrogen, and a few others are self-reproducing. It follows that though the state of “being lifeless” is almost a state ofequilibrium, yet this equilibrium is unstable (S.5/6), a single deviation from it being sufficient to start a trajectory that deviates
more and more from the “lifeless” state. What we see today in the
biological world are these “autocatalytic” processes showing all
the peculiarities that have been imposed on them by two thousand
million years of elimination of those forms that cannot survive.
The organisms we see today are deeply marked by the selective
action of two thousand million years’ attrition. Any form in any
way defective in its power of survival has been eliminated; andtoday the features of almost every form bear the marks of being
adapted to ensure survival rather than any other possible outcome.
Eyes, roots, cilia, shells and claws are so fashioned as to maximise
the chance of survival. And when we study the brain we are again
studying a means to survival.
196

Ex. 1: If n is 10 and k is 5, what would the operation C(M7) = M9 correspondto?
Ex. 2: (Continued.) What would the operation C(M8) = M4 correspond to?
Ex. 3: What would be an appropriate definition of “lethal”, if C’s attack wereinvariably fatal to M?

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10/5. What is it survives, over the ages ? Not the individual organism, but certain peculiarly well compounded gene-patterns, particularly those that lead to the production of an individual thatcarries the gene-pattern well protected within itself, and that,within the span of one generation, can look after itself.
What this means is that those gene-patterns are specially likely
to survive (and therefore to exist today) that cause to grow,between themselves and the dangerous world, some more or lesselaborate mechanism for defence. So the genes in Testudo cause
the growth of a shell; and the genes in Homo cause the growth ofa brain. (The genes that did not cause such growths have longsince been eliminated.)
Now regard the system as one of parts in communication. In theprevious section the diagram of immediate effects (of cat andmouse) was (or could be regarded as)
C→ M
We are now considering the case in which the diagram is
D→ F→ EREGULATION IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

whole regulatory machinery. F, by its action, tends to lessen theeffect of D on E.
(2) The automatic pilot. E is a vector with three components—
yaw, pitch, and roll—and η is the set of positions in which thesethree are all within certain limits. D is the set of disturbances that
may affect these variables, such as gusts of wind, movements ofthe passengers in the plane, and irregularities in the thrusts of theengines. F is the whole machinery—pilot, ailerons, rudder, etc.—
whose action determines how D shall affect E.
(3) The bicycle rider. E is chiefly his angle with the vertical. ,1is the set of small permissible deviations. D is the set of those disturbances that threaten to make the deviation become large. F is
the whole machinery—mechanical, anatomical, neuronic—that
determines what the effect of D is on E.
Many other examples will occur later. Meanwhile we can summarise by saying that natural selection favours those gene-patterns that get, in whatever way, a regulator F between the
disturbances D and the essential variables E. Other things being
equal, the better F is as a regulator, the larger the organism’s
chance of survival.
Ex.: What variables are kept within limits by the following regulatory mechanisms: (i) the air-conditioner; (ii) the climber’s oxygen supply; (iii) the windscreen-wiper; (iv) the headlights of a car; (v) the kitchen refrigerator; (vi) thephototaxic plant; (vii) sun-glasses; (viii) the flexion reflex (a quick lifting of
the foot evoked by treading on a sharp stone); (ix) blinking when an object
approaches the eye quickly; (x) predictor for anti-aircraft gunfire.

in which E is the set of essential variables, D is the source of disturbance and dangers (such as C) from the rest of the world, andF is the interpolated part (shell, brain, etc.) formed by the genepattern for the protection of E. (F may also include such parts ofthe environment as may similarly be used for E’s protection—
burrow for rabbit, shell for hermit-crab, pike for pike-man, andsword (as defence) for swordsman.)For convenience in reference throughout Part III, let the statesof the essential variables E be divided into a set η∇those that correspond to “organism living” or “good”—and not-η∇those that
correspond to “organism not living” or “bad”. (Often the classification cannot be as simple as this, but no difficulty will occur inprinciple; nothing to be said excludes the possibility of a finerclassification.)
To make the assumptions clear, here are some simple cases, as
illustration. (Inanimate regulatory systems are given first for simplicity.)(1) The thermostatically-controlled water-bath. E is its temperature, and what is desired (η) is the temperature range between,
say 36° and 37°C. D is the set of all the disturbances that may
drive the temperature outside that range—addition of cold water,
cold draughts blowing, immersion of cold objects, etc. F is the

10/6. Regulation blocks the flow of variety. On what scale can any
particular mechanism F be measured for its value or success as aregulator ? The perfect thermostat would be one that, in spite of
disturbance, kept the temperature constant at the desired level. In
general, there are two characteristics required: the maintenance ofthe temperature within close limits, and the correspondence of
this range with the desired one. What we must notice in particularis that the set of permissible values, η, has less variety than the setof all possible values in E; for η is some set selected from thestates of E. If F is a regulator, the insertion of F between D and E
lessens the variety that is transmitted from D to E. Thus an essential function of F as a regulator is that it shall block the transmission of variety from disturbance to essential variable.
Since this characteristic also implies that the regulator’s function is to block the flow of information, let us look at the thesis
more closely to see whether it is reasonable.
Suppose that two water-baths are offered me, and I want to

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decide which to buy. I test each for a day against similar disturbances and then look at the records of the temperatures; they are
as in Fig. 10/6/1:

information about the times reaching the essential variables. In
the same way, the skilled provider for a family may go throughdifficult times without his family realising that anything unusual
has happened. The family of an unskilled provider would havediscovered it.
In general, then, an essential feature of the good regulator isthat it blocks the flow of variety from disturbances to essential
variables.

There is no doubt that Model B is the better; and I decide this precisely because its record gives me no information, as does A’s,
about what disturbances, of heat or cold, came to it. The thermometer and water in bath B have been unable, as it were, to see anything of the disturbances D.
The same argument will apply, with obvious modifications, tothe automatic pilot. If it is a good regulator the passengers will
have a smooth flight whatever the gustiness outside. They will, in
short, be prevented from knowing whether or not it is gusty outside. Thus a good pilot acts as a barrier against the transmissionof that information.
The same argument applies to an air-conditioner. If I live in an
air-conditioned room, and can tell, by the hotness of the room,that it is getting hot outside, then that conditioner is failing as aregulator. If it is really good, and the blinds are drawn, I shall be
unable to form any idea of what the outside weather is like. The
good conditioner blocks the flow inwards of information about
the weather.
The same thesis applies to the higher regulations achieved bysuch activities as hunting for food, and earning one’s daily bread.
Thus while the unskilled hunter or earner, in difficult times, will
starve and will force his liver and tissues (the essential variables)
to extreme and perhaps unphysiological states, the skilled hunteror earner will go through the same difficult times with his liver
and tissues never taken to extremes. In other words, his skill as aregulator is shown by the fact, among others, that it prevents

10/7. The blocking may take place in a variety of ways, which
prove, however, on closer examination to be fundamentally thesame. Two extreme forms will illustrate the range.
One way of blocking the flow (from the source of disturbance
D to the essential variable E) is to interpose something that acts asa simple passive block to the disturbances. Such is the tortoise’sshell, which reduces a variety of impacts, blows, bites, etc. to anegligible disturbance of the sensitive tissues within. In the sameclass are the tree’s bark, the seal’s coat of blubber, and the humanskull.
At the other extreme from this static defence is the defence byskilled counter-action—the defence that gets information about
the disturbance to come, prepares for its arrival, and then meetsthe disturbance, which may be complex and mobile, with adefence that is equally complex and mobile. This is the defence ofthe fencer, in some deadly duel, who wears no armour and who
trusts to his skill in parrying. This is the defence used mostly by
the higher organisms, who have developed a nervous system precisely for the carrying out of this method.
When considering this second form we should be careful to
notice the part played by information and variety in the process.
The fencer must watch his opponent closely, and he must gain
information in all ways possible if he is to survive. For this purpose he is born with eyes, and for this purpose he learns how to
use them. Nevertheless, the end result of this skill, if successful,is shown by his essential variables, such as his blood-volume,
remaining within normal limits, much as if the duel had notoccurred. Information flows freely to the non-essential variables,
but the variety in the distinction “duel or no-duel” has been prevented from reaching the essential variables.
Through the remaining chapters we shall be considering thistype of active defence, asking such questions as: what principles
must govern it? What mechanisms can achieve it? And, what is tobe done when the regulation is very difficult?

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11

Chapter

R EQ U IS ITE V A RI ETY
11/1. In the previous chapter we considered regulation from thebiological point of view, taking it as something sufficiently wellunderstood. In this chapter we shall examine the process of regulation itself, with the aim of finding out exactly what is involved
and implied. In particular we shall develop ways of measuring theamount or degree of regulation achieved, and we shall show that
this amount has an upper limit.
11/2. The subject of regulation is very wide in its applications,covering as it does most of the activities in physiology, sociology,
ecology, economics, and much of the activities in almost every
branch of science and life. Further, the types of regulator that exist
are almost bewildering in their variety. One way of treating the
subject would be to deal seriatim with the various types, and chapter 12 will, in fact, indicate them. In this chapter, however, weshall be attempting to get at the core of the subject—to find what
is common to all.
What is common to all regulators, however, is not, at first sightmuch like any particular form. We will therefore start anew in thenext section, making no explicit reference to what has gone
before. Only after the new subject has been sufficiently developed
will we beam to consider any relation it may have to regulation.
11/3. Play and outcome. Let us therefore forget all about regulation and simply suppose that we are watching two players, R andD, who are engaged in a game. We shall follow the fortunes of R,
who is attempting to score an a. The rules are as follows. They
have before them Table 11/3/1, which can be seen by both:
Table 11/3/l
R
α β γ
1
D 2
3

b
a
c
202

a
c
b

c
b
a

D must play first, by selecting a number, and thus a particular row.
R, knowing this number, then selects a Greek letter, and thus aparticular column. The italic letter specified by the intersection of
the row and column is the outcome. If it is an a, R wins; if not, Rloses.
Examination of the table soon shows that with this particular
table R can win always. Whatever value D selects first, R canalways select a Greek letter that will give the desired outcome.
Thus if D selects 1, R selects β; if D selects 2, R selects α; and soon. In fact, if R acts according to the transformation

↓ β
1

2 3
α γ
then he can always force the outcome to be a.
R’s position, with this particular table, is peculiarly favourable,
for not only can R always force a as the outcome, but he can asreadily force, if desired, b or c as the outcome. R has, in fact, complete control of the outcome.
Ex. 1: What transformation should R use to force c as outcome?
Ex. 2: If both R’s and D’s values are integers, and the outcome E is also an integer, given by
E = R – 2D,
find an expression to give R in terms of D when the desired outcome is 37.
Ex. 3: A car’s back wheels are skidding. D is the variable “Side to which the tailis moving”, with two values, Right and Left. R is the driver’s action “Direction in which he turns the steering wheel” with two values, Right and Left.
Form the 2 x 2 table and fill in the outcomes.
Ex. 4: If R’s play is determined by D’s in accordance with the transformation

↓ β1

2
α

3
γ

and many games are observed, what will be the variety in the many outcomes?
Ex. 5: Has R complete control of the outcome if the table is triunique?

11/4. The Table used above is, of course, peculiarly favourable to
R. Other Tables are, however, possible. Thus, suppose D and R,
playing on the same rules, are now given Table 11/4/1 in which D
now has a choice of five, and R a choice of four moves.
If a is the target, R can always win. In fact, if D selects 3, R has
several ways of winning. As every row has at least one a, R canalways force the appearance of a as the outcome. On the other
hand, if the target is b he cannot always win. For if D selects 3,
there is no move by R that will give b as the outcome. And if thetarget is c, R is quite helpless, for D wins always.
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It will be seen that different arrangements within the table, anddifferent numbers of states available to D and R, can give rise toa variety of situations from the point of view of R.
Table 11/4/l
R
α β γ
1
2
D 3
4
5

b
a
d
d
d

d
d
a
b
a

a
a
a
a
b

δ
a
d
a
b
d

Ex. 1: With Table I l /4/ l, can R always win if the target is d?
Ex. 2: (Continued.) What transformation should R use?
Ex. 3: (Continued.) If a is the target and D, for some reason, never plays 5, how
can R simplify his method of play?
Ex. 4: A guest is coming to dinner, but the butler does not know who. He knows
only that it may be Mr. A, who drinks only sherry or wine, Mrs. B, who
drinks only gin or brandy, or Mr. C, who drinks only red wine, brandy or
sherry. In the cellar he finds he has only whisky, gin, and sherry. Can he findsomething acceptable to the guest, whoever comes ?

11/5. Can any general statement be made about R’s modes of playand prospects of success ?
If full generality is allowed in the Table, the possibilities are somany, arbitrary and complicated that little can be said. There is
one type, however, that allows a precise statement and is at thesame time sufficiently general to be of interest. (It is also fundamental in the theory of regulation.)
From all possible tables let us eliminate those that make R’sgame too easy to be of interest. Ex. 11/4/3 showed that if a column
contains repetitions, R’s play need not be discriminating; that is,
R need not change his move with each change of D’s move. Let
us consider, then, only those tables in which no column contains
a repeated outcome. When this is so R must select his move on fullknowledge of D’s move; i.e. any change of D’s move must requirea change on R’s part. (Nothing is assumed here about how the outcomes in one column are related to those in another, so these relations are unrestricted.) Such a Table is 11/5/1. Now, some target
being given, let R specify what his move will be for each move by
D. What is essential is that, win or lose, he must specify one and204

Table 11/5/l
R
α β

γ

1
f f k
2
k e f
3 m k a
4
b b b
D 5
c q c
6
h h m
7
j d d
8
a p j
9
l n h
only one move in response to each possible move of D. His specification, or “strategy” as it might be called, might appear:
If D selects 1, I shall select γ,, ,, ,, 2, ,, ,,,, α,, ,, ,, 3, ,, ,,,, β…
…
,, ,, ,, 9, ,, ,,,, α
He is, of course, specifying a transformation (which must be singlevalued, as R may not make two moves simultaneously):
1

↓ γ

2
α

3
β

… 9
… α

This transformation uniquely specifies a set of outcomes—
those that will actually occur if D, over a sequence of plays,
includes every possible move at least once. For 1 and γ give theoutcome k, and so on, leading to the transformation:↓(1,γ) (2,α) (3,β) … (9,α)
k
k
k
…
l

It can now be stated that the variety in this set of outcomes cannot
be less thanD ’s variety---------------------------R ’s varietyi.e., in this case, 9/3.
It is easily proved. Suppose R marks one element in each row
and concentrates simply on keeping the variety of the marked ele205

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REQUISITE VARIETY

ments as small as possible (ignoring for the moment any idea of atarget). He marks an element in the first row. In the second row hemust change to a new column if he is not to increase the variety
by adding a new, different, element; for in the initially selectedcolumn the elements are all different, by hypothesis. To keep thevariety down to one element he must change to a new column ateach row. (This is the best he can do; it may be that change fromcolumn to column is not sufficient to keep the variety down to one
element, but this is irrelevant, for we are interested only in whatis the least possible variety, assuming that everything falls as
favourably as possible). So if R has n moves available (three in theexample), at the n-th row all the columns are used, so one of thecolumns must be used again for the next row, and a new outcome
must be allowed into the set of outcomes. Thus in Table 11/5/1,
selection of the k’s in the first three rows will enable the variety
to be kept to one element, but at the fourth row a second element
must be allowed into the set of outcomes.
In general: If no two elements in the same column are equal,
and if a set of outcomes is selected by R, one from each row, andif the table has r rows and c columns, then the variety in theselected set of outcomes cannot be fewer than r/c.

Then the previous section has proved that VO cannot be less,numerically, than the value of VD – VR. Thus VO’s minimum is VD– VR.
If VD is given and fixed, VD – VR can be lessened only by a corresponding increase in VR. Thus the variety in the outcomes, if
minimal, can be decreased further only by a corresponding
increase in that of R. (A more general statement is given in S.11/9.)
This is the law of Requisite Variety. To put it more picturesquely: only variety in R can force down the variety due to D;
variety can destroy variety.
This thesis is so fundamental in the general theory of regulationthat I shall give some further illustrations and proofs before turning to consider its actual application.

TH E LA W O F REQ U I S I T E VAR IE T Y
11/6. We can now look at this game (still with the restriction thatno element may be repeated in a column) from a slightly different
point of view. If R, S move is unvarying, so that he produces thesame move, whatever D, S move, then the variety in the outcomes
will be as large as the variety in D’S moves. D now is, as it were,exerting full control over the outcomes.
If next R uses, or has available, two moves, then the variety ofthe outcomes can be reduced to a half (but not lower). If R has
three moves, it can be reduced to a third (but not lower); and soon. Thus if the variety in the outcomes is to be reduced to someassigned number, or assigned fraction of D, S variety, R, S variety
must be increased to at least the appropriate minimum. Only variety in R, S moves can force down the variety in the outcomes.

11/8. (This section can be omitted at first reading.) The law is ofvery general applicability, and by no means just a trivial outcomeof the tabular form. To show that this is so, what is essentially thesame theorem will be proved in the case when the variety is spreadout in time and the fluctuation incessant—the case specially considered by Shannon. (The notation and concepts in this section arethose of Shannon’s book.)
Let D, R, and E be three variables, such that each is an information source, though “source” here is not to imply that they are acting independently. Without any regard for how they are relatedcausally, a variety of entropies can be calculated, or measured
empirically. There is H(D,R,E), the entropy of the vector that has
the three as components; there is HD (E), the uncertainty in E
when D, S state is known; there is HED (R), the uncertainty in R
when both E and D are known; and so on.
The condition introduced in S.11/5 (that no element shall occur
twice in a column) here corresponds to the condition that if R is
fixed, or given, the entropy of E (corresponding to that of the outcome) is not to be less than that of D, i.e.
HR (E) > HR (D)11/7. If the varieties are measured logarithmically (as is almost
always convenient), and if the same conditions hold, then the theorem takes a very simple form. Let VD be the variety of D, VR thatof R, and VO that of the outcome (all measured logarithmically).

Now whatever the causal or other relations between D, R and E,
algebraic necessity requires that their entropies must be related sothat
H(D) + HD (R) = H(R) + HR (D)for each side of the equation equals H(R,D). Substitute HR(E) for
HR(D), and we get
H(D) + HD (R) < H(R) + HR (E)< H(R,E).

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But always, by algebraic necessity,
H(R, E) < H(R) + H(E)so
H(D) + HD (R) < H(R) + HR (E)i. e.
H(E) > H(D) + HD (E) – H(R).
Thus the entropy of the E’s has a certain minimum. If this minimum is to be affected by a relation between the D- and R-sources,
it can be made least when HD(R) = 0, i.e. when R is a determinate
function of D. When this is so, then H(E)’s minimum is H(D) –H(R), a deduction similar to that of the previous section. It says
simply that the minimal value of E’s entropy can be forced down
below that of D only by an equal increase in that of R.
11/9. The theorems just established can easily be modified to givea worth-while extension.
Consider the case when, even when R does nothing (i.e. produces the same move whatever D does) the variety of outcome isless than that of D. This is the case in Table 11/4/1. Thus if R gives
the reply α to all D’s moves, then the outcomes are a, b or d— avariety of three, less than D’s variety of five. To get a manageablecalculation, suppose that within each column each element is now
repeated k times (instead of the “once only” of S.11/5). The same
argument as before, modified in that kn rows may provide only
one outcome, leads to the theorem that
VO > VD – log k – log VR ,in which the varieties are measured logarithmically.
An exactly similar modification may be made to the theorem interms of entropies, by supposing, not as in S.11/8 that
HR (E) > HR (D), but that
HR (E) > HR (D) – K.
H(E)’s minimum then becomes
H(D) – K – H(R),with a similar interpretation.
11/10. The law states that certain events are impossible. It is
important that we should be clear as to the origin of the impossibility. Thus, what has the statement to fear from experiment?
It has nothing to do with the properties of matter. So if the law
is stated in the form “No machine can …”, it is not to be over208

REQUISITE VARIETY

thrown by the invention of some new device or some new electronic circuit, or the discovery of some new element. It does noteven have anything to do with the properties of the machine in thegeneral sense of Chapter 4; for it comes from the Table, such asthat of S.11/4; this Table says simply that certain D-R combinations lead to certain outcomes, but is quite independent of whatever it is that determines the outcome. Experiments can only
provide such tables.
The theorem is primarily a statement about possible arrangements in a rectangular table. It says that certain types of arrangement cannot be made. It is thus no more dependent on special
properties of machines than is, say, the “theorem” that four
objects can be arranged to form a square while three can not. The
law therefore owes nothing to experiment.
11/11. Regulation again. We can now take up again the subject ofregulation, ignored since the beginning of this chapter, for the lawof Requisite Variety enables us to apply a measure to regulation.
I et us go back and reconsider what is meant, essentially, by “regulation”.
There is first a set of disturbances D, that start in the world outside the organism, often far from it, and that threaten, if the regulator R does nothing, to drive the essential variables E outside
their proper range of values. The values of E correspond to the“outcomes” of the previous sections. Of all these E-values only afew (η) are compatible with the organism’s life, or are unobjectionable, so that the regulator R, to be successful, must take its
value in a way so related to that of D that the outcome is, if possible, always within the acceptable set 17, i.e. within physiologicallimits. Regulation is thus related fundamentally to the game of
S.11/4. Let us trace the relation in more detail.
The Table T is first assumed to be given. It is the hard external
world, or those internal matters that the would-be regulator has totake for granted. Now starts a process. D takes an arbitrary value,
R takes some value determined by D’s value, the Table determines an outcome, and this either is or is not in η. Usually theprocess is repeated, as when a water-bath deals, during the day,with various disturbances. Then another value is taken by D,another by R, another outcome occurs, and this also may be eitherin η or not. And so on. If R is a well-made regulator—one thatworks successfully—then R is such a transformation of D that all
the outcomes fall within η. In this case R and T together are acting as the barrier F (S.10/5.)
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We can now show these relations by the diagram of immediate
effects:

The law of Requisite Variety says that R’s capacity as a regulator
cannot exceed R’s capacity as a channel of communication.
In the form just given, the law of Requisite Variety can beshown in exact relation to Shannon’s Theorem 10, which says that
if noise appears in a message, the amount of noise that can beremoved by a correction channel is limited to the amount of information that can be carried by that channel.
Thus, his “noise” corresponds to our “disturbance”, his “correction channel” to our “regulator R”, and his “message of entropy
H” becomes, in our case, a message of entropy zero, for it is constancy that is to be “transmitted”. Thus the use of a regulator toachieve homeostasis and the use of a correction channel to suppress noise are homologous.

T
D

E
R

The arrows represent actual channels of communication. For thevariety in D determines the variety in R, and that in T is determined by that in both D and R. If R and T are in fact actualmachines, then R has an input from D, and T has two inputs.
(When R and T are embodied in actual machines, care must be
taken that we are clear about what we are referring to. If somemachine is providing the basis for T, it will have (by S.4/1) a setof states that occur step by step. These states, and these steps, areessentially independent of the discrete steps that we have considered to be taken by D, R, and T in this chapter. Thus, T gives theoutcome, and any particular outcome may be compared withanother, as unit with unit. Each individual outcome may, however, in another context, be analysed more finely. Thus a thirsty
organism may follow trajectory 1 and get relief, or trajectory 2
and die of thirst. For some purposes the two outcomes can betreated as units, particularly if they are to be contrasted. If however we want to investigate the behaviour in more detail, we canregard trajectory 1 as composed of a sequence of states, separated
by steps in time that are of quite a different order of size fromthose between successive regulatory acts to successive disturbances.)
We can now interpret the general phenomenon of regulation interms of communication. If R does nothing, i.e. keeps to one
value, then the variety in D threatens to go through T to E, contrary to what is wanted. It may happen that T, without change by
R, will block some of the variety (S.11/9), and occasionally thisblocking may give sufficient constancy at E for survival. Morecommonly, a further suppression at E is necessary; it can beachieved, as we saw in S.11/6, only by further variety at R.
We can now select a portion of the diagram, and focus attention
on R as a transmitter:
D→ R→ T210

Ex. 1: A certain insect has an optic nerve of a hundred fibres, each of which can
carry twenty bits per second; is this sufficient to enable it to defend itself
against ten distinct dangers, each of which may, or may not, independently,
be present in each second?
Ex. 2: A ship’s telegraph from bridge to engine-room can determine one of nine
speeds not oftener than one signal in five seconds, and the wheel can determine one of fifty rudder-positions in each second. Since experience has
shown that this means of control is normally sufficient for full regulation,
estimate a normal upper limit for the disturbances (gusts, traffic, shoals, etc.)that threaten the ship’s safety.
Ex. 3: A general is opposed by an army of ten divisions, each of which may
manoeuvre with a variety of 106 bits in each day. His intelligence comesthrough 10 signallers, each of whom can transmit 60 letters per minute for 8hours in each day, in a code that transmits 2 bits per letter. Is his intelligence-channel sufficient for him to be able to achieve complete regulation?
Ex. 4: (Continued.) The general can dictate orders at 500 bits/minute for 12hours/day. If his Intelligence were complete, would this verbal channel besufficient for complete regulation ?

11/12. The diagram of immediate effects given in the previous
section is clearly related to the formulation for “directive correlation” given by Sommerhoff, who, in his Analytical Biology, uses
the diagram
Rt1
CVo

Gt2
Et1

t0

t1
211

t2

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REQUISITE VARIETY

If I am not misinterpreting him, his concepts and those used here
are equivalent thus:pher would deal with twenty subjects that are (for exposure anddistance) distinct, then his camera must obviously be capable ofat least twenty distinct settings if all the negatives are to bebrought to a uniform density and sharpness. Where the law, in its
quantitative form, develops its power is when we come to consider the system in which these matters are not so obvious, andparticularly when it is very large. Thus, by how much can a dictator control a country? It is commonly said that Hitler’s control
over Germany was total. So far as his power of regulation (in thesense of S.10/6) was concerned, the law says that his control
amounted to just 1 man-power, and no more. (Whether this statement is true must be tested by the future; its chief virtue now isthat it is exact and uncompromising.) Thus the law, though trite in
the simple cases, can give real guidance in those cases that aremuch too complex to be handled by unaided intuition.

Coenetic variable (CVo) ↔ Disturbance (D)Response (Rt1) ↔ Response (R)Environmental circumstances (Et1) ↔ Table (T)Subsequent occurrence (Gt2) ↔ Outcome (E)A reading of his book may thus help to extend much of the theory
given in this Part, for he discusses the subject extensively.
11/13. The law now enables us to see the relations existing
between the various types of variety and information that affectthe living organism.
A species continues to exist (S.10/14) primarily because its
members can block the flow of variety (thought of as disturbance)
to the gene-pattern (S.10/6), and this blockage is the species’ mostfundamental need. Natural selection has shown the advantage tobe gained by taking a large amount of variety (as information)
partly into the system (so that it does not reach the gene-pattern)
and then using this information so that the flow via R blocks theflow through the environment T.
This point of view enables us to resolve what might at first seema paradox—that the higher organisms have sensitive skins,
responsive nervous systems, and often an instinct that impels
them, in play or curiosity, to bring more variety to the system thanis immediately necessary. Would not their chance of survival be
improved by an avoidance of this variety?
The discussion in this chapter has shown that variety (whether
information or disturbance) comes to the organism in two forms.
There is that which threatens the survival of the gene-pattern—the
direct transmission by T from D to E. This part must be blocked
at all costs. And there is that which, while it may threaten thegene-pattern, can be transformed (or re-coded) through the regulator R and used to block the effect of the remainder (in T). This
information is useful, and should (if the regulator can be provided) be made as large as possible; for, by the law of Requisite
Variety, the amount of disturbance that reaches the gene-pattern
can be diminished only by the amount of information so transmitted. That is the importance of the law in biology.
It is also of importance to us as we make our way towards thelast chapter. In its elementary forms the law is intuitively obvious
and hardly deserving statement. If, for instance, a press photogra212

CONT ROL
11/14. The formulations given in this chapter have already suggested that regulation and control are intimately related. Thus, in
S.11/3, Table 11/3/1 enables R not only to achieve a as outcomein spite of all D’s variations; but equally to achieve b or c at will.
We can look at the situation in another way. Suppose the decision of what outcome is to be the target is made by some controller, C, whom R must obey. C’s decision will affect R’s choice ofα, β or γ; so the diagram of immediate effects is
D→ T→ E
C→ R
Thus the whole represents a system with two independent inputs,
C and D.
Suppose now that R is a perfect regulator. If C sets a as the target, then (through R’s agency) E will take the value a, whatevervalue D may take. Similarly, if C sets b as target, b will appear as
outcome whatever value D may take. And so on. And if C sets aparticular sequence—a, b, a. c, c, a, say—as sequential or compound target, then that sequence will be produced, regardless of
D’s values during the sequence. (It is assumed for conveniencethat the components move in step.) Thus the fact that R is a perfect213

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

REQUISITE VARIETY

regulator gives C complete control over the output, in spite of theentrance of disturbing effects by way of D. Thus, perfect regulation of the outcome by R makes possible a complete control over
the outcome by C.
We can see the same facts from yet another point of view. If an
attempt at control, by C over E:

Ex. 1: From Table 31/3/l form the set of transformations, with c as parameter,that must be used by R if C is to have complete control over the outcome.
(Hint: What are the operands?)
Ex. 2: If, in the last diagram of this section, C wants to transmit to E at 20 bits/
second, and a source D is providing noise at 5 bits/second, and T is suchthat if R is constant, E will vary at 2 bits/second, how much capacity mustthe channel from D to R have (at least) if C s control over E is to becomplete?
Ex. 3: (Continued.) How much capacity (at least) is necessary along the channel
from C to R ?
Ex. 4: (Continued.) How much along that from R to T?

11/15. In our treatment of regulation the emphasis has fallen on its
property of reducing the variety in the outcome; without regulation the variety is large—with regulation it is small. The limit ofthis reduction is the regulation that holds the outcome rigorously
constant. This point of view is undoubtedly valid, but at first it
may seem to contrast sharply with the naive view that livingorganisms are, in general, anything but immobile. A few words,
in addition to what was said in S.11/13, may be useful.
It should be appreciated that the distinction between “constant”
and “varying” often depends on the exact definition of what isbeing referred to. Thus if a searchlight follows an aircraft accurately we may notice either that the searchlight moved through agreat range of angles (angles in relation to the earth) or that theangle it made with the aircraft remained constant at zero. Obviously both points of view are valid; there is no real contradictionin this example between “great range” and “constant”, for theyrefer to different variables.
Again, the driver who steers a car accurately from one town toanother along a winding lane can be regarded either as one who
has caused the steering wheel to show much activity and changeor as one who, throughout the trip, has kept the distance between
car and verge almost constant.
Many of the activities of living organisms permit this double
aspect. On the one hand the observer can notice the great deal of
actual movement and change that occurs, and on the other hand hecan observe that throughout these activities, so far as they are coordinated or homeostatic, there are invariants and constancies thatshow the degree of regulation that is being achieved.
Many variations are possible on the same theme. Thus if variable x is always doing just the same as variable y, then the quantity
x – y is constant at zero. So if y’s values are given by some outside
factor, any regulator that acts on x so as to keep x – y constant atzero is in fact forcing x to vary, copying y. Similarly, “making x
do the opposite to y” corresponds to “keeping x + y at some constant value”. And “make the variable w change so that it is always
just twice as large as v’s (fluctuating) rate of change” corresponds
to “keep the quantity w – 2dv/dt constant”.
It is a great convenience in exposition and in the processes ofgeneral theory to be able to treat all “targets” as if they were of theform “keep the outcome constant at a”. The reader must, however,not be misled into thinking that the theory beat’ only of immobility; he must accustom himself to interchanging the corresponding
concepts freely.

214

215

C → E
is disturbed or made noisy by another, independent, input D, sothat the connexions are
D

D
E

T → E

or

C

C

then a suitable regulator R, taking information from both C and D,
and interposed between C and T:
D→ T → E↑

C → R
may be able to form, with T, a compound channel to E that transmits fully from C while transmitting nothing from D.
The achievement of control may thus depend necessarily on theachievement of regulation. The two are thus intimately related.

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

REQUISITE VARIETY

S O M E V A R I A TI ONS

is now “that which disturbs”, and T has no third input, so the formulation agrees with that of S.11/4.
There is, of course, no suggestion here that the noise, as a disturbance, can be allowed for magically by merely thinking differently about it. The suggestion is that if we start again from the
beginning and re-define D and T then some new transformation of
D may be able to restore regulation. The new transformation will,of course, have to be more complex than the old, for D will havemore components.

11/16. In S.11/4 the essential facts implied by regulation wereshown as a simple rectangular table, as if it were a game between
two players D and R. The reader may feel that this formulation ismuch too simple and that there are well known regulations that it
is insufficient to represent. The formulation, however, is reallymuch more general than it seems, and in the remaining sections of
this chapter we shall examine various complications that prove,on closer examination, to be really included in the basic formulation of S.11/4.
11/17. Compound disturbance. The basic formulation of S.11/4
included only one source of disturbance D, and thus seems, at firstsight, not to include all those cases, innumerable in the biologicalworld, in which the regulation has to be conducted against several
disturbances coming simultaneously by several channels. Thus, acyclist often has to deal both with obstructions due to traffic andwith disequilibrations due to gusts.
In fact, however, this case is included; for nothing in this chapter excludes the possibility that D may be a vector, with any
number of components. A vectorial D is thus able to represent all
such compound disturbances within the basic formulation.
11/18. Noise. A related case occurs when T is “noisy”—when T
has an extra input that is affected by some disturbance that interferes with it. This might be the case if T were an electricalmachine, somewhat disturbed by variations in the mains’ voltage.
At first sight this case seems to be not represented in the basic formulation.
It must be appreciated that D, T, E, etc. were defined in S.11/3
in purely functional form. Thus “D” is “that which disturbs”.
Given any real system some care may b necessary in deciding
what corresponds to D, what to T, and so on. Further, a boundary
drawn provisionally between D and T (and the other boundaries)
may, on second thoughts, require moving. Thus one set of boundaries on the real system may give a system that purports to be ofD, T, etc. yet does not agree with the basic formulation of S.11/4.
Then it may be found that a shifting of the boundaries, to give a
new D. T, etc., gives a set that does agree with the formulation.
If a preliminary placing of the boundaries shows that this (provisional) T is noisy, then the boundaries should be re-drawn so as
to get T’s input of noise (S.9/19) included as a component in D. D
216

11/19. Initial states. A related case occurs when T is some machinethat shows its behaviour by a trajectory, with the outcome E
depending on the properties of T’s trajectory. The outcomes willthen usually be affected by which of T’s states is the initial one.
How does T’s initial state come into the basic formulation of S.11/4?
If the initial state can be controlled, so that the trajectory can bestarted always from some standardised state, then no difficultyarises. (In this connexion the method of S.7/25 may be useful.) It
may however happen, especially if the system is very large, thatT’s initial state cannot be standardised. Does the basic formulation include this case?
It does; for D, as a vector, can be re-defined to include T’s initialstate. Then the variety brought to E by the variety in T’s initialstate is allotted its proper place in the formulation.
11/20. Compound target. It may happen that the acceptable states
η at E may have more than one condition. Thus of a thermostat it
might be demanded that(i) it shall usually stay between 36° and 37°C;(ii) if displaced by + 10° it shall return to the allowed range
within one minute.
This difficulty can be dealt with by the same method as in S.11/
17, by recognising that E may be a vector, with more than one
component, and that what is acceptable (η) may be given in theform of separate specifications for each component.
Thus, by allowing E to become a vector, the basic formulationof S. 11/4 can be made to include all cases in which the target iscomplex, or conditional, or qualified.
11/21. Internal complexities. As a last example, showing how
comprehensive the basic formulation really is, consider the casein which the major problem seems to be not so much a regulation
217

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

as an interaction between several regulations. Thus a signalman
may have to handle several trains coming to his section simultaneously. To handle any one by itself would be straightforward,
but here the problem is the control of them as a complex whole
pattern.
This case is in fact still covered by the basic formulation. For
nothing in that formulation prevents the quantities or states or elements in D, R, T, or E from being made of parts, and the parts
interrelated. The fact that “D” is a single letter in no way implies
that what it represents must be internally simple or unitary.
The signalman’s “disturbance” D is the particular set of trains
arriving in some particular pattern over space and time. Other
arrangements would provide other values for D, which must, ofcourse, be a vector. The outcomes E will be various complex patterns of trains moving in relation to one another and moving awayfrom his section. The acceptable set η will certainly include a component “no collision” and will probably include others as well. His
responses R will include a variety of patterns of movements of signals and points. T is what is given—the basic matters of geography,
mechanics, signalling techniques, etc., that lead determinately fromthe situation that has arisen and his reaction pattern to outcome.
It will be seen therefore that the basic formulation is capable, in
principle, of including cases of any degree of internal complexity.

218

12

Chapter

TH E E R R OR -C ONT R OL L E D
R E GUL AT OR
12/1. In the previous chapter we studied the nature of regulation,and showed that certain relations and laws must hold if regulation
is to be achieved. There we assumed that regulation was achieved,
and then studied what was necessary. This point of view, however,though useful, hardly corresponds with that commonly used inpractice. Let us change to a new point of view.
In practice, the question of regulation usually arises in this way:
The essential variables E are given, and also given is the set ofstates η in which they must be maintained if the organism is tosurvive (or the industrial plant to run satisfactorily). These twomust be given before all else. Before any regulation can be undertaken or even discussed, we must know what is important andwhat is wanted. Any particular species has its requirements
given—the cat must keep itself dry, the fish must keep itself wet.
A servo-mechanism has its aim given by other considerations—
one must keep an incubating room hot, another must keep a refrigerating room cold. Throughout this book it is assumed that outside
considerations have already determined what is to be the goal, i.e.
what are the acceptable states η. Our concern, within the book, issolely with the problem of how to achieve the goal in spite of disturbances and difficulties.
The disturbances D threaten to drive E outside the set η. If D
acts through some dynamic system (an environment) T, then the
diagram of immediate effects is initially
D→ T→ EThe organism (or whoever is interested in E), however, has somepower of forming another dynamic system R (e.g. a brain or a servomechanism) which can be coupled to T and which, if properly
made, will form with T a whole, F, so that the diagram of immediate
effects becomes
D→ F→ E
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THE ERROR-CONTROLLED REGULATOR

and such that F blocks the flow of variety from D to E, so that E
stays within η.
T is usually given. It is the environment which the organism isfacing together with those parts of the organism that have to betaken as given in the regulation. It cannot just be abolished, but
can usually be manipulated. The problem of regulation is then, in
general:Given E, η, T, and D, to form the mechanism R so that R andT, coupled, act to keep E within η.
From now to the end of the book we shall be studying how various types of data (E, η, T, and D) can specify the form ofmachine with input (R) that will give regulation. We want todeduce the form of R.
Were the situation always as simple as it was in Table 11/3/1,
the subject would soon be exhausted. As it is, many deviations
from that form are possible, so we shall proceed to examine various deviations, as they put various difficulties in the way of thedesign or specification of the regulator R.
We can now assume, in discussing some particular regulation,that full use has been made of the possibilities of redefining (S.11/
16) so that the formulation is either like that of S.11/3, which gave
perfect regulation and control, or like those in S.11/4, in whichsuch perfection was impossible. The remainder of the book will
be concerned essentially with those cases in which perfect regulation is not possible but in which we wish the regulation to be as
good as is possible in the conditions given.

A similar restriction of R’s capacity may occur in those cases
where R’s effect on T is vectorial, i.e. effected through more than
one channel or component to T, and some diminution has
occurred in the number of T’s parameters accessible to R. (Compare S.7/12.) Thus a failure at one of the controls on the dashboard
may impair the driver’s ability to keep the car running well.
The case when R cannot receive full information about T’s initial state (discussed in S.11/19) is really included in the cases
mentioned above. Such a difficulty occurs to a railway signalman
in a fog. He is well informed that a disturbance “fog” has arrived,
but he often has difficulty in ascertaining the present state of thesystem he is controlling, i.e. the present positions of the trains in
his sector. With this restriction in the flow of information from T
to R goes the difficulty, or even impossibility, of maintaining full
regulation.
12/3. The basic formulation of S.11/4 assumed that the process ofregulation went through its successive stages in the following order:(1) a particular disturbance threatens at D;(2) it acts on R, which transforms it to a response;(3) the two values, of D and R, act on T simultaneously to produce T’s outcome;(4) the outcome is a state in E, or affects E.

12/2. Sensory and motor restriction. A simple introduction to thereal difficulties is that given when R’s capacity, as a channel fortransmitting variety or information from D to T, becomes insufficient, according to the law of Requisite Variety, to reduce the variety in E to that in η. When this happens, the regulation is necessarily
imperfect.
Examples of the phenomenon are myriad. First are all the casesof sensory restriction, of deafness, of the driver who cannot see
clearly through a rain-obscured windscreen. There are the organisms that cannot see ultra-violet light, and the tabetic who cannot
feel where his feet are. These are restrictions in the channel fromD to R.
Then there are the restrictions in the channel from R to T, thoseon the effector side of R. There is the man who has lost an arm,
the insect that cannot fly, the salivary gland that cannot secrete,
and the rudder that is stuck.

Thus (3) supposes that if R is an actual material system, it performs
all its work before T starts to move. We assumed, in other words
that the regulator R moved at a higher order of speed than T.
This sequence does actually occur in many cases. When the cat
approaches, the mouse may react so as to get to its hole before thecat’s claws actually strike. We say in general that the organism
has reacted to the threat (at D) rather than to the disaster itself (atE), and has thus forestalled the disaster. The formulation is thus
properly representative of many important regulations.
On the other hand, there are many important cases in which thisanticipation is not possible—in which R’s action cannot be completed before the outcome (at T) starts to be determined. (Anexample is given in the next section.) In such cases the regulation
envisaged in S.11/3 is impossible. What then is to be done?
One method, of course, is to speed up the transmission of information from D to R; and many regulating systems have various
devices specially to this end. Primitive nerve fibres develop myelin sheaths, so that the passage to the brain may be faster. Some
organisms develop a sense of smell, so that the appropriate

220

221

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THE ERROR-CONTROLLED REGULATOR

response may be prepared in time for the actual bodily encounter.
And economic systems send messages by cable rather than bymessenger so that the arrival in port of a ship with a perishable
cargo can be prepared for.
Sometimes, however, the available resources do not include a
speeding-up of the transmission through R; R’s reaction cannot be
got to T before the outcome commences. In that case, the best thatcan be done is that the imperfect regulation should at least be as
good as it can be made in the circumstances. The succeeding sections will discuss how this can be done.

and the information available for regulatory purposes is whateversurvives the coding imposed by its passage through T (S.8/5).
Sometimes the information available to R is forced to take aneven longer route, so that R is affected only by the actual effect at
E. The diagram of immediate effects is then

12/4. Regulation by error. A well-known regulator that cannot react
directly to the original disturbance D is the thermostat controlledwater- bath, which is unable to say “I see someone coming with acold flask that is to be immersed in me—I must act now”. On thecontrary, the regulator gets no information about the disturbance
until the temperature of the water (E) actually begins to drop. And
the same limitation applies to the other possible disturbances, suchas the approach of a patch of sunlight that will warm it, or the leaving open of a door that will bring a draught to cool it.
The same limitation holds over many important regulators.
There is, for instance, a mechanism that helps to keep constant theoxygen supply to the tissues: any long-continued lack of oxygen
causes eventually an increase in the number of red corpuscles
contained in the blood. So people with certain types of heart disease, and those living at high altitudes, where the air is thin, tend
to develop such an increase. This regulation draws its informationfrom the harmful effect (the lack of oxygen) itself, not from thecause (D) of the heart disease, or from the decision to live at ahigher altitude.
From the point of view of communication, the new phenomena
are easily related to those of the old. The difference is simply that
now the information from D to R (which must pass if the regulator
R is to play any useful part whatever) comes through T. Instead of
D→ T→ E↑

D→ T→ E
we have

R↑↓

R

R is thus getting its information about D by way of T:
D→ T→ R→222

D→ T → E↑

R
and we have the basic form of the simple “error-controlled servomechanism” or “closed loop regulator”, with its well-known feedback from E to R. The reader should appreciate that this form differsfrom that of the basic formulation (S.11/4) only in that the information about D gets to R by the longer route
D→ T → E → R →Again, the information available to R is only such as survives thetransmission through T and E:
This form is of the greatest importance and widest applicability.
The remainder of the book will be devoted to it. (The other cases
are essentially simpler and do not need so much consideration.)

12/5. A fundamental property of the error-controlled regulator isthat it cannot be perfect in the sense of S.11/3.
Suppose we attempt to formulate the error-controlled system by
the method used in S.11/3 and 4. We take a table of double entry,with D and R determining an outcome in E. Each column has avariety equal to that of D. What is new is that the rules must be
modified. Whereas previously D made a selection (a particular
disturbance), then R, and thus E was determined, the play now isthat after D’s initial selection, R must take a value that is a determinate function of the outcome E (for R is error-controlled). It iseasily shown that with these conditions E’s variety will be aslarge as D’s—i.e. R can achieve no regulation, no matter how R isconstructed (i.e. no matter what transformation is used to turn E’svalue to an R-value).
If the formal proof is not required, a simpler line of reasoning
can show why this must be so. As we saw, R gets its information
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THE ERROR-CONTROLLED REGULATOR

through T and E. Suppose R is somehow regulating successfully;
then this would imply that the variety at E is reduced below thatof D—perhaps even reduced to zero. This very reduction makes
the channel

ring in industrial machinery but of the commonest occurrence andhighest importance in biological systems. The subject is returned
to in S.12/11. Meanwhile we must turn aside to see what is
involved in this idea of a “non-determinate” machine.

D→ T → E →to have a lessened capacity; if E should be held quite constant thenthe channel is quite blocked. So the more successful R is in keeping
E constant, the more does R block the channel by which it is receiving its necessary information. Clearly, any success by R can at best
be partial.

T HE MARKOVI AN MACHI NE

12/7. The reader may feel that excessive attention has just been
given to the error-controlled regulator, in that we have stated withcare what is already well known. The accuracy of statement is,however, probably advisable, as we are going now to extend thesubject of the error- controlled regulator over a range much wider
than usual.
This type of regulator is already well known when embodied ina determinate machine. Then it gives the servo-mechanism, thethermostat, the homeostatic mechanism in physiology, and so on.
It can, however, be embodied in a non-determinate machine, andit then gives rise to a class of phenomena not yet commonly occur-

12/8. We are now going to consider a class of machine more generalthan that considered in Parts I and II. (Logically, the subject shouldhave been considered earlier, but so much of those Parts was concerned with the determinate machine (i.e. one whose transformations are single- valued) that an account of a more general typemight have been confusing.)
A “machine” is essentially a system whose behaviour is sufficiently law-abiding or repetitive for us to be able to make someprediction about what it will do (S.7/19). If a prediction can bemade, the prediction may be in one of a variety of forms. Of one
machine we may be able to predict its next state—we then say it
is “determinate” and is one of the machines treated in Part I. Of
another machine we may be unable to predict its next state, but wemay be able to predict that, if the conditions are repeated manytimes, the frequencies of the various states will be found to havecertain values. This possible constancy in the frequencies has
already been noticed in S.9/2. It is the characteristic of the Markov
chain.
We can therefore consider a new class of absolute system: it is
one whose states change with time not by a single-valued transformation but by a matrix of transition probabilities. For it toremain the same absolute system the values of the probabilities
must be unchanging.
In S.2/10 it was shown that a single-valued transformation
could be specified by a matrix of transitions, with 0’s or 1’s in thecells (there given for simplicity as 0’s or +’s). In S.9/4 a Markov
chain was specified by a similar matrix containing fractions. Thusa determinate absolute system is a special case of a Markovian
machine; it is the extreme form of a Markovian machine in which
all the probabilities have become either O or 1. (Compare S.9/3.)
A “machine with input” was a set of absolute systems, distinguished by a parameter. A Markovian machine with input must
similarly be a set of Markovian machines, specified by a set of
matrices, with a parameter and its values to indicate which matrix
is to be used at any particular step.
The idea of a Markovian machine is a natural extension of the

224

225

12/6. Fortunately, in many cases complete regulation is not necessary. So far, we have rather assumed that the states of the essential
variables E were sharply divided into “normal” (η) and “lethal”, sooccurrence of the “undesirable” states was wholly incompatible
with regulation. It often happens, however, that the systems show
continuity, so that the states of the essential variables lie along ascale of undesirability. Thus a land animal can pass through manydegrees of dehydration before dying of thirst; and a suitable reversal
from half way along the scale may justly be called “regulatory” if itsaves the animal’s life, though it may not have saved the animal
from discomfort.
Thus the presence of continuity makes possible a regulation
that, though not perfect, is of the greatest practical importance.
Small errors are allowed to occur; then, by giving their information to R, they make possible a regulation against great errors.
This is the basic theory, in terms of communication, of the simple
feedback regulator.

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

THE ERROR-CONTROLLED REGULATOR

idea of the ordinary, determinate machine—the type consideredthroughout Part I. If the probabilities are all O or I then the two are
identical. If the probabilities are all very near to O or I, we get amachine that is almost determinate in its behaviour but that occasionally does the unusual thing. As the probabilities deviate further and further from O and 1, so does the behaviour at each step
become less and less determinate, and more and more like that of
one of the insects considered in S.9/4.
It should be noticed that the definition, while allowing someindeterminacy, is still absolutely strict in certain respects. If themachine, when at state x, goes on 90% of occasions to y and on
10% of occasions to z, then those percentages must be constant(in the sense that the relative frequencies must tend to those percentages as the sequence is made longer; and the limits must be
unchanging as sequence follows sequence). What this means inpractice is that the conditions that determine the percentages mustremain constant.
The exercises that follow will enable the reader to gain somefamiliarity with the idea.

*Ex. 4: (Continued.) What general rule, using matrix multiplication, allows theanswer to be written down algebraically? (Hint: Ex. 9/6/8.)*Ex. 5: Couple the Markovian machine (with states a, 6, c and input-states α,β)Ex. 1: A metronome-pendulum oscillates steadily between its two extreme
states, R and L, but when at the right (R) it has a 1% chance of sticking thereat that step. What is its matrix of transition probabilities ?
Ex. 2: A determinate machine α has the transformation
A

B

C D

↓ B D D D
A Markovian machine β has the matrix of transition probabilities
A
B
C
D
↓
A
0
0
0
0
B 0.9 000C
0
0 0.2 0D 0.1 1.0 0.8 1.0
How do their behaviours differ? (Hint: Draw α’s graph and draw β’s graphafter letting the probabilities go to 1 or 0.)
Ex. 3: A Markovian machine with input has a parameter that can take three values—p, q, r—and has two states, a and b, with matrices

↓
a
b

(p)
a

b

1/2
1/2

1
0

↓
a
b

(q)
a

b

1/4 3/4
3/4 1/4

↓
a
b

(r)
a

b

1/3 3/4
2/3 1/4

It is started at state b, and goes one step with the input at q, then one step with
it at r, then one step with it at p. What are the probabilities that it will now be
at a or b?

226

↓
a
b
c

α:

a

b

↓
a
b
c

c

0.2 0.3 0.3. 0.7 0.2
0.8 . 0.5

β:

a

b

c

0.3 0.9 0.5
0.6 0.1 0.5
0.1 .
.

to the Markovian machine (with states e, f and input-states δ, ε, θ)

δ:

↓

e

e
f

0.7 0.5
0.3 0.5

f

ε:

↓

e

e
f

0.2 0.7
0.8 0.3

f

θ:

↓

e

e
f

0.5 0.4
0.5 0.6fby the transformations
a

b

c

e

↓ ε δ θf

↓ β αWhat is the Markovian machine (without input) that results ? (Hint: Trychanging the probabilities to O and 1, so as to make the systems determinate, and follow S.4/8; then make the probabilities fractional and follow
the same basic method.)*Ex. 6: (Continued.) Must the new matrix still be Markovian?
*Ex. 7: If M is a Markovian machine which dominates a determinate machine N,show that N’s output becomes a Markov chain only after M has arrived atstatistical equilibrium (in the sense of S.9/6).

12/9. Whether a given real machine appears Markovian or determinate will sometimes depend on how much of the machine isobservable (S.3/11); and sometimes a real machine may be suchthat an apparently small change of the range of observation may
be sufficient to change the appearances from that of one class tothe other.
Thus, suppose a digital computing machine has attached to it along tape carrying random numbers, which are used in some process it is working through. To an observer who cannot inspect thetape, the machine’s output is indeterminate, but to an observer
who has a copy of the tape it is determinate. Thus the question “Is
this machine really determinate?” is meaningless and inappropriate unless the observer’s range of observation is given exactly. In
other words, sometimes the distinction between Markovian anddeterminate can be made only after the system has been defined
accurately. (We thus have yet another example of how inadequate
is the defining of “the system” by identifying it with a real object.
227

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THE ERROR-CONTROLLED REGULATORReal objects may provide a variety of equally plausible “systems”, which may differ from one another grossly in those properties we are interested in here, and the answer to a particularquestion may depend grossly on which system it happens to be
applied to.) (Compare S.6/22.)

single-valued, more than one arrow can go from each state. Thus
the Markovian machine

12/10. The close relation between the Markovian machine and thedeterminate can also be shown by the existence of mixed forms.
Thus, suppose a rat has partly learned the maze, of nine cells, shownin Fig. 12/11/1,

↓
a
b
c

a
0.2
0.8
.

b
0.3
0.7
.

c
0.1
0.5
0.4

has the graph of Fig. 12/11/1, in which each arrow has a fraction
indicating the probability that that arrow will be traversed by the
representative point.

Fig. 12/10/1

in which G is the goal. For reasons that need not be detailed here,
the rat can get no sensory clues in cells 1, 2, 3 and 6 (lightly shaded),
so when in one of these cells it moves at random to such other cells
as the maze permits. Thus, if we put it repeatedly in cell 3 it goeswith equal probability to 2 or to 6. (I assume equal probability
merely for convenience.) In cells 4, 5, 7, 8 and G, however, clues
are available, and it moves directly from cell to cell towards G.
Thus, if we put it repeatedly in cell 5 it goes always to 8 and then to
G. Such behaviour is not grossly atypical in biological work.
The matrix of its transitions can be found readily enough. Thus,
from 1 it can go only to 2 (by the maze’s construction). From 2 itgoes to 1, 3, or 5 with equal probability. From 4 it goes only to 5.
From G, the only transition is to G itself. So the matrix can bebuilt up.

Fig. 12/11/1

12/11. Stability. The Markovian machine will be found on examination to have properties corresponding to those described in Part I,
though often modified in an obvious way. Thus, the machine’s kinematic graph is constructible; though, as the transformation is not

In this particular example it can be seen that systems at c will all
sooner or later leave it, never to return.
A Markovian machine has various forms of stability, whichcorrespond to those mentioned in Chapter 5. The stable region isa set of states such that once the representative point has entereda state in the set it can never leave the set. Thus a and b above forma stable region.
A state of equilibrium is simply the region shrunk to a single
state. Just as, in the determinate system, all machines started in abasin will come to a state of equilibrium, if one exists, so too do
the Markovian; and the state of equilibrium is sometimes called
an absorbing state. The example of S.9/4 had no state of equilibrium. It would have acquired one had we added the fourth position“on a fly-paper”, whence the name.
Around a state of equilibrium, the behaviour of a Markovian
machine differs clearly from that of a determinate. If the system
has a finite number of states, then if it is on a trajectory leading toa state of equilibrium, any individual determinate system must
arrive at the state of equilibrium after traversing a particular trajectory and therefore after an exact number of steps. Thus, in the

228

229

Ex.: Construct a possible matrix of its transition probabilities.

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THE ERROR-CONTROLLED REGULATOR

first graph of S.2/17, a system at C will arrive at D in exactly two
steps. If the system is Markovian, however, it does not take aunique number of steps; and the duration of the trajectory can bepredicted only on the average. Thus suppose the Markovian
machine is
↓
a
b
a
1 1/2
b
0 1/2
with a a state of equilibrium. Start a great number of such systems
all at b. After the first step, half of them will have gone to a and half
will be still at b. At the second step, a half of those still at b will
move over to a and a half (i.e. a quarter of the whole) will remain atb. By continuing in this way we find that, of those that were started
at b,
1/2 reach a after 1 step
1/4 ,, ,, ,, 2 ,,
1/8 ,, ,, ,, 3 ,,Movement to a goal by the process of hunt and stick is thus
homologous, by S.12/8, to movement by a determinate trajectory
for both are the movement of a machine to a state of equilibrium.
With caution, we can apply the same set of principles and arguments to both.

and so on. The average time taken to get from b to a is thus
1⁄2×1+1⁄4×2+1⁄8×3+…
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- = 2 steps.
1⁄2+1⁄4+1⁄8+…
Some of the trajectories will be much longer than 2 steps.
As is now well known, a system around a state of equilibrium
behaves as if “goal-seeking”, the state being the goal. A corresponding phenomenon appears in the Markovian case. Here,instead of the system going determinately to the goal, it seems towander, indeterminately, among the states, consistently moving toanother when not at the state of equilibrium and equally consistently stopping there when it chances upon that state. The state still
appears to have the relation of “goal” to the system, but the systemseems to get there by trying a random sequence of states and thenmoving or sticking according to the state it has arrived at. Thus, theobjective properties of getting success by trial and error are shown
when a Markovian machine moves to a state of equilibrium.
At this point it may be worth saying that the common name of“trial and error” is about as misleading as it can be. “Trial” is in
the singular, whereas the essence of the method is that theattempts go on and on. “Error” is also ill-chosen, for the importantelement is the success at the end. “Hunt and stick” seems todescribe the process both more vividly and more accurately. I
shall use it in preference to the other.
230

Ex. 1: What states of equilibrium has the system of Ex. 12/10/l ?
Ex. 2: A Markovian machine has matrix

↓
a
b
c
d
e
f

b

c

d

e

f

1/3 1/3
1/3 1/3
1/3 1/3
.
.
.
.
.
.

a

.
.
.
1
.
.

.
.
.
.
1
.

.
.
.
.
.
1

.
.
.
.
.
1

It is started at a on many occasions; how would its behaviour be describedin the language of rat-maze psychology ?

MARKOVI AN RE GUL AT I ON
12/12. The progression of a single Markovian machine to a state ofequilibrium is much less orderly than that of a determinate machine,so the Markovian type is little used in the regulators of industry. In
comparison with the smooth and direct regulation of an ordinary
servo- mechanism it must seem fumbling indeed. Nevertheless, living organisms use this more general method freely, for a machinethat uses it is, on the whole, much more easily constructed andmaintained; for the same reason it tends to be less upset by minor
injuries. It is in fact often used for many simple regulations where
speed and efficiency are not of importance.
A first example occurs when the occupant of a room wishes toregulate the number of flies in the room at, or near, zero. Putting
a flypaper at a suitable site causes no determinate change in thenumber of flies. Nevertheless, the only state of equilibrium foreach fly is now “on the paper”, and the state of equilibrium for“number of flies not on the paper” is zero. The method is primitive
but it has the great virtues of demanding little and of working sufficiently well in practice.
A similar method of regulation is that often used by the golfer
who is looking for a lost ball in an area known to contain it. The
states are his positions in the area, and his rule is, for all the states
but one, “go on wandering”; for one however it is “stop the wandering”. Though not perhaps ideal, the method is none the lesscapable of giving a simple regulation.
231

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Another example of regulation, of a low order of efficiency,
would be shown by a rat with serious brain damage who cannot
remember anything of a maze, but who can recognise food when
encountered and who then stops to eat. (Contrast his behaviour
with that of a rat who does not stop at the food.) His progression
would be largely at random, probably with some errors repeated;nevertheless his behaviour shows a rudimentary form of regulation, for having found the food he will stop to eat it, and will live,
while the other rat will keep moving and starve.

12/14. Regulation by error. The basic formulation of S 11/4 is ofextremely wide applicability. Perhaps its most important particularcase occurs when both T and R are machines (determinate or Markovian) and when the values of E depend on the various states of
equilibrium that T may come to, with ,η as some state (or states)that have some appropriate or desired property. Most physical regulators are of this type. If R and T are Markovian machines thebringing of T to a desired state of equilibrium η by the action of R
can readily be achieved if advantage is taken of the fundamental
fact that if two machines (such as T and R are now assumed to be)
are coupled, the whole can be at a state of equilibrium only wheneach part is itself at a state of equilibrium, in the conditions provided by the other. The thesis was stated in S.5/13 for the determinate machine, but it is just as true for the Markovian.
Let the regulator R be built as follows. Let it have an input that
can take two values, β and γ. When its input is β (for “bad”) let nostate be one of equilibrium, and when its input is γ (for “good”) letthem all be equilibrial. Now couple it to T so that all the states inη are transformed, at R’s input, to the value γ, and all others to thevalue β. Let the whole follow some trajectory. The only states of
equilibrium the whole can go to are those that have R at a state ofequilibrium (by S.5/13); but this implies that R’s input must be atγ, and this implies that T’s state must be at one of η. Thus the construction of R makes it a vetoer of all states of equilibrium in Tsave those in η. The whole is thus regulatory; and as T and R are
here Markovian, the whole will seem to be hunting for a “desirable” state, and will stick to it when found. R might be regarded as“directing” T’s hunting.
(The possibility that T and R may become trapped in a stableregion that contains states not in η can be made as small as we
please by making R large, i.e. by giving it plenty of states, and byseeing that its β −matrix is richly connected, so that from any state
it has some non- zero probability of moving to any other state.)

Ex. 1: A married couple decide to have children till they have a boy and then to
stop. (i) Is the process regulatory ? (ii)What is the matrix of transition probabilities ?
Ex. 2: Is the game “Heads, I win; Tails, we toss again” regulatory?

12/13. So far we have considered only the way in which a Markovian machine moves to its goal. In principle, its sole difference froma determinate machine is that its trajectory is not unique. Provided
we bear this difference in mind, regulation by the Markovian
machine can have applied to it all the concepts we have developedin the earlier chapters of this Part.
(The warning given in S.11/11 (pare. 5) must be borne in mind.
The steps that take a Markovian machine along its trajectory areof a smaller order of magnitude than the steps that separate one actof regulation (one “move” in the sense of S.11/3) from another.
The latter steps correspond to change from one trajectory toanother —quite different to the change from one point to the next
along one trajectory.)
Thus the basic formulation of S.11/4 is compatible with either
determinate or Markovian machines in T and R to provide theactual outcome. No difference in principle exists, though if we
describe their behaviour in psychological or anthropomorphic
terms the descriptions may seem very different. Thus if R is
required (for given disturbance) to show its regulatory power bygoing to some state, then a determinate R will go to it directly, as
if it knows what it wants, while a Markovian R will appear to
search for it.
The Markovian machine can be used, like the determinate, as ameans to control; for the arguments of S.11/14 apply to both (theywere concerned only with which outcomes were obtained, notwith how they were obtained.) So used, it has the disadvantage ofbeing uncertain in its trajectory, but it has the advantage of being
easily designed.
232

Ex. 1: What, briefly, must characterise the matrix γ, and what β?
*Ex. 2: Show that the thesis of S.5/13 is equally true for the Markovian machine.

12/15. The homeostat. In this form we can get another point of viewon the homeostat. In S.5/14 (which the reader should read again) we
considered it as a whole which moved to an equilibrium, but there
we considered the values on the stepping-switches to be solderedon, given, and known. Thus B’s behaviour was determinate. We
can, however, re- define the homeostat to include the process by
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THE ERROR-CONTROLLED REGULATOR

which the values in Fisher and Yates’ Table of Random Numbers
acted as determinants (as they certainly did). If now we ignore (i.e.
take for granted) the resistors on the switches, then we can regard
part B (of S.5/14) as being composed of a relay and a channel only,
to which comes values from the Table. We now regard B as having
two inputs.

generality freely, so that often we shall not need to make the distinction between determinate and Markovian.
Another example of regulation by a Markovian system is worth
considering as it is so well known. Children play a game called“Hot or Cold?” One player (call him Tom for T) is blindfolded.
The others then place some object in one of a variety of places,
and thus initiate the disturbance D. Tom can use his hands to findthe object, and tries to find it, but the outcome is apt to be failure.
The process is usually made regulatory by the partnership of Rob(for R), who sees where the object is (input from D) and who cangive information to Tom. He does this with the convention thatthe object is emitting heat, and he informs Tom of how this would
be felt by Tom: “You’re freezing; still freezing; getting a little
warmer; no, you’re getting cold again; …”. And the children (ifyoung) are delighted to find that this process is actually regulatory, in that Tom is always brought finally to the goal.
Here, of course, it is Tom who is Markovian, for he wanders, ateach next step, somewhat at random. Rob’s behaviour is moredeterminate, for he aims at giving an accurate coding of the relative position.
Regulation that uses Markovian machinery can therefore now
be regarded as familiar and ordinary.

B
Relay
A
ChannelTable

B’s state is still a vector of two components—a value provided by
the Table and the state of the relay (whether energised or not). To
an Observer who cannot observe the Table, B is Markovian (compare S.12/9). Its input from A has two states, β and γ; and it has been
built so that at β no state is equilibrial, and at γ every state is. Finally
it is coupled as in S.5/14.
The whole is now Markovian (so long as the Table is notobserved). It goes to an equilibrium (as in S.5/14), but will now
seem, to this Observer, to proceed to it by the process of hunt andstick, searching apparently at random for what it wants, andretaining it when it gets it.
It is worth noticing that while the relay’s input is at β, variety in
the Table is transmitted to A, but when the input comes to y, thetransmission is stopped. The relay thus acts as a “tap” to the flowof variety from the Table to A. The whole moves to a state of equilibrium, which must be one in which the entry of variety from theTable is blocked. It has now gone to a state such that the entry ofvariety from the Table (which would displace it from the state) isprevented. Thus the whole is, as it were, self-locking in this condition. (It thus exemplifies the thesis of S.4/22.)

DE T E RMI NAT E RE GUL AT I ON

12/16. The example of the previous section showed regulation
occurring in a system that is part determinate (the interactions
between the magnets in A) and part Markovian (the values taken by
the channel in part B). The example shows the essential uniformity
and generality of the concepts used. Later we shall want to use this

12/17. Having treated the case in which T and R are embodied inmachines, and considered that in which the machinery is Markovian, we can now take up again the thread dropped in S.12/7, andcan specialise further and consider the case in which the probabilities have all become 0 or 1 (S.12/8), so that the machinery is determinate. We continue with the regulator that is error-controlled. Inorder, as biologists, to explore thoroughly the more primitive formsof regulation, let us consider the case in which the feedback has avariety of only two states.
An example of such a system occurs in the telephone exchange
when a selector starts to hunt for a disengaged line. The selector
tries each in turn, in a determinate order, gets from each in turn theinformation “engaged” or “disengaged”, and stops moving(arrives at a state of equilibrium) at the first disengaged line. The
set of disturbances here is the set of possible distributions of“engaged” or “disengaged” among the lines. The system is regulatory because, whatever the disturbance, the outcome is always
connexion with a disengaged line.

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235

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THE ERROR-CONTROLLED REGULATOR

The mechanism is known to be error-controlled, for the information that determines whether it shall move on or stick comesfrom the line itself.
This case is so simple as to be somewhat degenerate. If we pay
no attention to the internal actions between R and T, so that theyfuse to form the F of S.10/5, then the case becomes simply that ofa determinate system which, when the initial state is given, runs
along a determinate trajectory to a state of equilibrium. Thus
every basin with a state of equilibrium in η can be said to show asimple form of regulation; for it acts so as to reduce the variety inthe initial states (as disturbance D) to the smaller variety in the terminal state.
Much the same can be said of the rat that knows its way about
a warehouse; for wherever it gets to it can make its way back to
the nest. As much can be said for the computer that is programmed to work by a method of successive approximation; for,at whatever value it is started, the successive values are moved
determinately to the goal, which is its only state of equilibrium.

The diagram of immediate effects is specially worth noting. It is

Ex.: A card is to be found in a shuffled pack of 52 by examination of them one
by one. How many will have to be examined, on the average, if (i) the cards
are examined seriatim, (ii) if one is drawn, examined, returned if not wanted,
the pack shuffled, a card drawn, and so on? (Systematic versus random
searching.)

12/18. When the machinery is all determinate, the problem of S. 12/
14 may arise—that of getting T to go to some state of equilibriumthat has some desired property. When this is so, the solution given
there for the Markovian machine is, of course, still valid: one couples on a vetoer.

Temp. ofincubator

Disturbances

Temp. ofeggs
Temp. of
CapsuleSize of flame

Diam. of
Capsuleor some equivalent form. In it, D, T, R and E are readily identified(though the distinctions between T and R and their parts are somewhat arbitrary). The whole acts to block the passage of variety fromthe Disturbances (whatever they are) to the eggs. If the aim of theregulator is re-defined slightly as being to keep constant the temperature of the incubator, then the regulator is controlled by the error
rather than by the disturbances themselves.
In this form of regulator, the system must, of course, be stable
for any given disturbance, and the desired temperature must be thesystem’s state of equilibrium. The feedback around the circuit
must thus usually be negative.
Many regulators in the living body are of this simple form, andCannon’s work has made them well known. Typical is that which
regulates the pH of the blood by the amount of carbon dioxide in it:
pH of theblood

Disturbances

pH of body’s
tissues

12/19. Continuous variation. After these primitive forms, wearrive at the regulators whose variables can vary continuously. (Itmust be remembered that the continuous is a special case of thediscrete, by S.2/1.) Of the great numbers that exist I can take only
one or two for mention, for we are interested here only in theirgeneral principles.
Typical is the gas-heated incubator. It contains a capsule whichswells as the temperature rises. The mechanism is arranged so thatthe swelling of the capsule cuts down the size of the gas flame (orof the amount of hot air coming to the incubator); an undue rise of
temperature is thus prevented.

Again the system shows the features just mentioned.
Among the innumerable examples of such mechanisms
should be included the economic. Tustin’s Mechanism of Eco-

236

237

Concentration
CO2 in blood

Activity of
respiration

rate of Excretion of CO2

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THE ERROR-CONTROLLED REGULATOR

nomic Systems shows how closely their properties are cussed
here.

one end of a light stiff rod J, which can turn on a pivot K. Thus if
K is unmoving, a movement down at the other end L will lift thecone, will allow air to escape, and will cause a fall of the pressurez inside B; conversely, a movement up at L will make z rise.
The air pressure in B works in opposition to a heavy weight P,
which IS continued upwards as a pillar, the whole weight being
able to move only up or down. The pillar carries two pivots, K and

Ex. 1: Draw the diagram of immediate effects of any regulator known to you.
Ex. 2: (Continued.) Think of some other parameters whose change would affectthe regulator’s working; add them to the diagram.

12/20. A variant of this class, worth mention for the sake of completeness, is that in which the regulating mechanism becomes
active only intermittently.
A reservoir tank, for instance, may have the level of fluid in it
kept between two given levels by a siphon which has its inner
opening at the lower level and its bend at the upper level. If the
supply is usually greater than the demand, the siphon, by coming
into action when the fluid reaches the upper level and by stopping
its action when it reaches the lower, will keep the level within thedesired range.
Many physiological regulators act intermittently. The reaction
to cold by shivering is such a case. This particular reaction is of
special interest to us (compare S.12/4) in that activity in the regulator can be evoked either by an actual fall in the bodily temperature (error-control, from E) or, before the body has had time tocool, by the sight of things that will bring cold (control from D).
TH E P O WER A M P L IFIE R
12/21. The fact that the discussion in this chapter has usuallyreferred to the output E as being constant must not be allowed to
obscure the fact that this form can cover a very great number ofcases that, at first sight, have no element of constancy in them. The
subject was referred to in S.11/15. Here we shall consider an application that is important in many ways already, and that will beneeded for reference when we come to Chapter 14. I refer to thoseregulators and controllers that amplify power.
Power amplifiers exist in many forms. Here I shall describe
only one, selecting a form that is simple and clear (Fig. 12/21/1).
Compressed air is supplied freely at A and makes its way past
the constriction C before either going into the bellows B or escaping at the valve V. The pressure at A is much higher than the usual
working pressure in B, and the aperture at C is small, so air flows
past C at a fairly constant rate. It must then either escape at V oraccumulate in B, driving up the pressure z. How fast the air escapesat V, where a hole is obstructed to some degree by a cone, depends
on the movement up or down (x) of the cone, which is attached to

M. M is pivot for a strong bar G, which is fixed at one end, F Thus
if P moves upwards, M must move upwards by the same amount,and G’s free end H must move upwards by twice the distance.
Now let us see what happens if L is moved. Suppose the operator lifts L by one inch. The other end (V) falls at once by one inch
the valve is more obstructed, less air escapes, and more accumulates in B, sending up the pressure. The increased pressure will lift
P, and thus M and H. Thus H’s movements tend simply to copy
L’s. (We can notice that the upward movement of P (L being fixed
after its one inch rise) will make the valve V open, so the responseof the whole system to L’s movement will be self-limiting, for the
feedback is negative; subject to certain quantitative details, which

238

239

Fig. 12/21/1

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THE ERROR-CONTROLLED REGULATOR

would require exact treatment in any particular embodiment, thesystem is thus stable at a state of equilibrium whose position isdetermined by L’s position.)
The whole can thus also be regarded as a stable system that acts
so that, while a movement of, say, one inch at L would tend tocause, at V, a movement of one inch also, the reaction of the system annuls this. So the system can also be regarded as one thatacts so as to keep the position of V constant.
We can now see how it can become a power amplifier, and be
used as a crane.
The designer takes care to see that the lever J is light, and thatthe valve is shaped so that the escaping air, or the pressure z, haslittle effect on the force required at L. He also takes care that B
shall have a large area of action on P, and that the average working pressure z shall be high (with the pressure at A higher still). If
he is successful, a small force at L, raising it through one inch, will
be sufficient to evoke a large force at H sufficient to raise a heavy
mass through the same distance. Thus a force of 1 lb. moving
through one inch at L may result in a force of 1000 lbs. moving
through one inch at H. It is thus a work- (or power-) amplifier.
So far it has given merely a simple and clear exemplification of
the principles of regulation and control described earlier. Later(S.14/1) we shall return to it, for we shall have to be clear about
how we can have, simultaneously, a law saying that energy cannot
be created, and also a power-amplifier.

This, for instance, may be the case in wild life when a preyattempts to regulate against an attack by a predator, when thewhole struggle progresses through alternating stages of threat andparry. Here the predator’s whole attack consists of a sequence ofactions D1, D2, D3 …, each of which evokes a response, so that thewhole response is also a sequence, R1, R2, R3, …,The whole struggle thus consists of the double sequence
D1, R1, D2, R2, D3 , R3, …
The outcome will depend on some relation between the predator’swhole attack and the prey’s whole response.
We are now considering an even more complex interpretationof the basic formulation of S.11/4. It is common enough in the
biological world however. In its real form it is the Battle of Life;in its mathematical form it is the Theory of Games and Strategies.
Thus in a game of chess the outcome depends on what particularsequence of moves by White and BlackW1, B1, W2, B2, W3 , B3, …

12/22. The subjects of regulation and control are extremely extensive, and what has been said so far only begins to open up the subject. Another large branch of the subject arises when D and R are
vectors, and when the compounding that leads eventually to theoutcome in T or E is so distributed in time that the components of
D and R occur alternately. In this case the whole disturbance presented and the whole response evoked each consists of a sequenceof sub-disturbances and sub- responses.

has been produced. (What was called a “move” in S.11/4 corresponds, of course, to a play here.)This theory, well founded by von Neumann in the ’30s, though
not yet fully developed, is already too extensive for more thanmention here. We should, however, take care to notice its closeand exact relation to the subject in this book. It will undoubtedly
be of great scientific importance in biology; for the inborn characteristics of living organisms are simply the strategies that havebeen found satisfactory over centuries of competition, and built
into the young animal so as to be ready for use at the first demand.
Just as many players have found “P—Q4” a good way of opening
the game of Chess, so have many species found “Grow teeth” tobe a good way of opening the Battle of Life.
The relation between the theory of games and the subjects
treated in this book can be shown precisely.
The first fact is that the basic formulation of S.11/4—the Table of
Outcomes, on which the theory of regulation and control has been
based—is identical with the “Pay-off matrix” that is fundamental in
the theory of games. By using this common concept, the two theories
can readily be made to show their exact relation in special cases.
The second fact is that the theory of games, as formulated by
von Neumann and Morgenstern, is isomorphic with that of certain
machines with input. Let us consider the machine that is equivalent to his generalised game (Fig. 12/22/1). (In the Figure, the let-

240

241

Ex. 1: How many degrees of freedom for movement have the three bodies, P,
J, G?
Ex. 2: Modify the arrangement so as to make H move oppositely to L while
keeping the equilibrium stable.
Ex. 3: Modify the arrangement so that the equilibrium is unstable.

G A M ES A N D S TR A T E GIE S

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THE ERROR-CONTROLLED REGULATOR

ters correspond with those by von Neumann in his Chapter 2,
which should be consulted; his T’s do not correspond to the usage
in this book.)
There is a machine M with input. Its internal structure (itstransformations) is known to the players Ti It has three types of
input: Γ, V, and T. A parameter Γ, a witch perhaps, determines
which structure it shall have, i.e. which game is to be played.
Other inputs Vi allow random moves to be made (e.g. effects
from a roulette wheel or pack of shuffled cards to be injected; cf.
S.12/15). Each player, Ti, is a determinate dynamic system, coupled to M both ways. He receives information from M by speci-

retain their values and his strategy will be unchanged; but if dissatisfied (i.e. if the payment falls below some critical value) the
step-functions will change value, and the loser, at the next play,will use a new strategy.
A related subject is the theory of military codings and de-codings. Shannon’s Communication theory of secrecy systems has
shown how intimately related are these various subjects. Almost
any advance in our knowledge of one throws light on the others.
More than this cannot be said at present, for the relationships
have yet to be explored and developed. It seems to be clear that thetheory of regulation (which includes many of the outstanding problems of organisation in brain and society) and the theory of games
will have much to learn from each other. If the reader feels thatthese studies are somewhat abstract and devoid of applications, heshould reflect on the fact that the theories of games and cybernetics
are simply the foundations of the theory of How to get your Own
Way. Few subjects can be richer in applications than that!
12/23. We are now at the end of the chapter, and the biologist may
feel somewhat dissatisfied, for this chapter has treated only of systems that were sufficiently small and manageable to be understood.
What happens, he may ask, when regulation and control areattempted in systems of biological size and complexity ? What happens, for instance, when regulation and control are attempted in thebrain or in a human society?
Discussion of this question will occupy the remaining chapters.

Fig 12/22/1

fied channels Ii and then acts determinately on M. The site ofconnexion of the I’s is defined by Γ. Effects from each T,
together with those of the other T’s and the V’s, exert, through M,
complex controls over the dials G. When the play, i.e. trajectory,
is completed, the umpire H reads the G’s and then makes corresponding payments to the T’s.
What we have here is evidently the case of several regulators,
each trying to achieve a goal in G, working simultaneously, andinteracting competitively within M. (The possibility of competition between regulators has not been considered explicitly in thesechapters till now.)
If the system is ultrastable, each T’s behaviour will be determined by parameters, behaving as step-functions. If a particular
player is “satisfied” by the payment from H, his parameters will
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REGULATING THE VERY LARGE SYSTEM

13/2. This, however, is not so. To repeat what was said in S.4/18,
many of the propositions established earlier are stated in a form
that leaves the size of the system irrelevant. (Sometimes thenumber of states or the number of variables may be involved, but
in such a way that the proposition remains true whatever theactual number.)
Regulation in biological systems certainly raises difficult problems —that can be admitted freely. But let us be careful, in admitting this, not to attribute the difficulty to the wrong source.
Largeness in itself is not the source; it tends to be so regarded partly
because its obviousness makes it catch the eye and partly because
variations in size tend to be correlated with variations in the sourceof the real difficulty. What is usually the main cause of difficulty isthe variety in the disturbances that must be regulated against.
The size of the dynamic system that embodies T tends to be corre-

lated with the variety in D for several reasons. If T is made of many
parts, and there is uncertainty about the initial state of any part, thenthat variety will be allocated to D (S. 11/19); so in general, otherthings being equal, the greater the number of parts the greater thevariety in D. Secondly, if each part is not completely isolated fromthe world around, each part’s input will contribute some variety
which will be allocated to D; so in general, the greater the number ofparts the greater the number of components in D; and therefore, if
the components have some independence, the greater the variety in
D. (There may be other reasons as well but these will suffice.)Thus, when the effects of size are distinguished from those that
affect the variety in D, it will usually be found that the former is,in itself, irrelevant, and that what matters is the latter.
It now follows that when the system T is very large and theregulator R very much smaller (a common case in biology), thelaw of Requisite Variety is Likely to play a dominating part. Its
importance is that, if R is fixed in its channel capacity, the law
places an absolute limit to the amount of regulation (or control)that can be achieved by R, no matter how R is re-arranged internally, or how great the opportunity in T. Thus the ecologist, if his
capacity as a channel is unchangeable, may be able at best only toachieve a fraction of what he would like to do. This fraction may
be disposed in various ways —he may decide to control outbreaks
rather than extensions, or virus infections rather than bacillary—
but the quantity of control that he can exert is still bounded. So too
the economist may have to decide to what aspect he shall devote
his powers, and the psychotherapist may have to decide what
symptoms shall be neglected and what controlled.
The change in the point of view suggested here is not unlike that
introduced into statistics by the work of Sir Ronald Fisher. Before
him, it was taken for granted that, however clever the statistician,a cleverer could get more information out of the data. Then heshowed that any given extraction of information had a maximum,
and that the statistician’s duty was simply to get near the maximum— beyond that no man could go. Similarly, before Shannon’s work it was thought that any channel, with a little moreskill, could be modified to carry a little more information. He
showed that the engineer’s duty is to get reasonably near the maximum, for beyond it no-one can go. The law of Requisite Variety
enforces a similar strategy on the would-be regulator and controller: he should try to get near his maximum—beyond that he cannot go. Let us therefore approach the very large system with no
extravagant ideas of what is achievable.

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13

Chapter

R E G U L A TIN G TH E V ER Y LARGES Y S TEM
13/1. Regulation and control in the very large system is of peculiar interest to the worker in any of the biological sciences, formost of the systems he deals with are complex and composed ofalmost uncountably many parts. The ecologist may want to regulate the incidence of an infection in a biological system of great
size and complexity, with climate, soil, host’s reactions, predators, competitors, and many other factors playing a part. The
economist may want to regulate against a tendency to slump in asystem in which prices, availability of labour, consumer’s
demands, costs of raw materials, are only a few of the factors thatplay some part. The sociologist faces a similar situation. And thepsychotherapist attempts to regulate the working of a sick brainthat is of the same order of size as his own, and of fearful complexity. These regulations are obviously very different from thoseconsidered in the simple mechanisms of the previous chapter. At
first sight they look so different that one may well wonder
whether what has been said so far is not essentially inapplicable.

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REGULATING THE VERY LARGE SYSTEM

13/3. Before we proceed we should notice that when the system isvery large the distinction between D, the source of the disturbances, and T, the system that yields the outcome, may be somewhat vague, in the sense that the boundary can often be drawn ina variety of ways that are equally satisfactory.
This flexibility is particularly well-marked among the systems
that occur on this earth (for the terrestrial systems tend markedly
to have certain general characteristics). On this earth, the whole
dynamic biological and ecological system tends to consist of
many subsystems loosely coupled (S.4/20); and the sub-systems
themselves tend to consist of yet smaller systems, again moreclosely coupled internally yet less closely coupled between one
another; and so on. Thus in a herd of cattle, the coupling between
members is much looser than the couplings within one member
and between its parts (e.g. between its four limbs); and the four
limbs are not coupled as closely to one another as are the molecules within one bone. Thus if some portion of the totality ismarked out as T, the chief source D of disturbance is often othersystems that are loosely coupled to T, and often sufficiently similar to those in T that they might equally reasonably have been
included in it. In the discussion that follows, through the rest of
the book, this fact must be borne in mind: that sometimes anequally reasonable demarcation of T and D might have drawn theboundary differently, without the final conclusions being affectedsignificantly. Arbitrary or not, however, some boundary must
always be drawn, at least in practical scientific work, for otherwise no definite statement can be made.

13/5. Constraints. What this means, by the law of Requisite Variety, is that the variety in the disturbances D is not really as large
as it seems; in other words, by S.7/8, the disturbances show a constraint.
Thus the case we are led to is the following: D has many components, each of which shows variety. The first estimate of D’svariety puts it too high, and we are in danger of deducing (if theregulator’s capacity is given) that regulation of E to a certain
degree is not possible. Further examination of D may, however,show that the components are not independent, that constraint
exists, and that the real variety in D is much lower than the firstestimate. It may be found that, with R’s capacity given, thissmaller variety can be regulated against, and full regulation orcontrol achieved at E. Thus the discovery of a constraint may convert “regulation impossible” to “regulation possible”. If R’s
capacity is fixed, it is the only way.
We are thus led again to the importance and usefulness of discovering constraints, and to yet another example of the thesis thatwhen a constraint exists it can be turned to use (S.7/14).
Let us then consider the question of what constraints may occur
in the disturbances that affect very large systems, and how they
may be turned to use. The question is of major practical importance, for if R’s capacity is not easily increased and the other methods are not possible, then the law of Requisite Variety says that thediscovery of a constraint is the would-be regulator’s only hope.

13/4. When the system T is very large—when the organism as
regulator faces a very large and complex environment with limited resources—there are various ways that may make regulation
possible. (If regulation is not possible, the organism perishes—anextremely common outcome that must not be forgotten; but thiscase needs no detailed consideration.)
Sometimes regulation may be made possible by a re-defining ofwhat is to be regarded as acceptable—by a lowering of standards.
This is a somewhat trivial solution, though not to be forgotten as
a possibility.
Another possibility is to increase the scope and power of R, until
R’s capacity is made adequate. This method must obviously never
be forgotten; but we shall give it no detailed consideration. Let us
consider more fully the interesting case in which the regulation,
apparently most difficult or impossible, is actually possible.
246

13/6. As was said in S.7/10, constraints do not fall into a few simply- described classes. Having indicated some of the more interesting possibilities in Chapter 7, I can only continue to mention
those classes that are of peculiar interest to us now. With this brief
reference I shall pass by a vast subject, that comprises a major partof all human activity.
Accordingly we shall study one particular form of constraint. It
is of great interest in itself, it will illustrate the thesis of the lastchapter, and it is of considerable practical importance in the regulation of the very large system.
RE P E T I T I VE DI S T URBANCE
13/7. Though little reference has been made to the fact in the last
few chapters, many disturbances (and the corresponding regulatory responses) are repetitive, especially if the system is viewed
over a long time. The cough reflex is regulatory and useful not
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REGULATING THE VERY LARGE SYSTEM

merely because it removes this particle of dust but because, in a
lifetime, it removes particles again and again—as many times as
are necessary. Most of the physiological regulators act again andagain, as often as is necessary. And the coastal lifeboat saves lives
not once but again and again. If, in the last few chapters, we havespoken of “the regulatory response” in the singular, this is only
because the single action is typical of the set, not because the set
necessarily has only one element.
So many of the well-known regulations are repetitive that it isdifficult to find a regulation that acts once only. A possible example is given by an observatory making plans so as to have everything ready in case a supernova should occur, an event not likely
to occur twice in the director’s lifetime. Various possibilities
would have to be considered—in which part of the sky it might
appear, whether during day or night, the spectral and other peculiarities which would determine what particular type of plate andfilter should be used in photographing it, and so on. In making hisplans, the director would, in fact, draw up a table like that of S.11/
4, showing the uncertainties (D) to be feared, the resources (R)available, and the outcomes (E). Inspection of the table, as in Ex.
11/4/4, would then enable him to decide whether, in all cases, hewould get what he wanted.
There are, therefore, cases in which the regulation has to beexerted against a non-repetitive disturbance, but they are uncommon.
From here on we shall consider the case in which the disturbance, and the regulatory response, occur more than once; forsuch cases show constraint, of which advantage can be taken.

in that minute. There is also the long interval. After it has worked
for a year someone may ask me whether it has proved a good regulator over the year. While deciding the reply, I think of the whole
year’s disturbance as a sort of Grand Disturbance (made up of
many individual disturbances, with a small d), to which it has produced a Grand Response (made up of many individual responses,
with a small r). According to some standard of what a bath should
do over a year (e.g. never fail badly once, or have an average deviation of less than 1/2°, etc.) I form an opinion about the Grand
Outcome— whether it was Good or Bad—and answer the question accordingly.
It should be noticed that what is “Good” in the Grand Outcome
does not follow necessarily from what is “good” (η) in the individual outcomes; it must be defined anew. Thus, if I go in for alottery and have three tickets, a win on one (and consequent loss
on the other two) naturally counts as “Good” in the Grand Outcome; so here I good + 2 bad = Good. On the other hand, if I am
tried three times for murder and am found not guilty for one, theindividual results are still I good + 2 bad, but in this case theGrand Outcome must naturally count as Bad. In the case when theindividual disturbances each threaten the organism with death,
Good in the Grand Outcome must naturally correspond to “goodin every one of the individual outcomes”.
These Grand Disturbances are vectors whose components are
the individual disturbances that came hour by hour. These vectors
show a form of constraint. Thus, go back to the very first example
of a vector (S.3/5). It was A; contrast it with B:A
Age of car: ............
Horse power: ............
Colour:............

B
Age of Jack’s car: ............
,, ,, Jill’s,, ............
,, ,, Tom’s ,, ............

13/8. The constraint occurs in the following way.
The basic formulation of the regulatory process referred to a setof disturbances but assumed only that the separate elements in theset were distinct, nothing more. Like any other quantity, a disturbance may be simple or a vector. In the latter case, at least two
main types are distinguishable.
The first type was discussed in S.11/17: the several componentsof the disturbance act simultaneously; as an air-conditioner might,
at each moment, regulate both temperature and humidity.
The second type is well shown by the thermostatically-controlled water bath, it can be regarded as a regulator, over either shortor long intervals of time. Over the short interval, “the disturbance” means such an event as “the immersion of this flask”, and“its response” means “what happens over the next minute”. Itsbehaviour can be judged good or bad according to what happened

Obviously B is restricted in a way that A is not. For the variety inthe left-hand words in A’s three rows is three; in B’s three rows it
is one.
Vectors like B are common in the theory of probability, where
they occur under the heading “sampling with replacement”. Thus,
the spin of a coin can give only two results, H or T. A coin spunsix times in succession, however, can give results such as (H, H,
T, H, T, H), or (T, T, H, H, T, H), and so on for 64 possibilities.
(Compare S.9/9.)
What is important here is that, in such a set of vectors (in those
whose components all come from the same basic class, as in B),

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two varieties can be distinguished: there is (i) the variety within
the basic class (2 for the coin, the number of distinct possible agesin B), and (ii) the variety built up by using the basic class n times
over (if the vector has n components). In the example of the coin,
the two varieties are 2 and 64. In general, if the variety within thebasic class is k, and the vector has n components, each a memberof the class, then the two varieties are, at most, k, and kn. In particular it should be noticed that if the variety in the basic class has
some limit, then a suitably large value of n will enable the second
variety to be made larger than the limit.

verified that this sequence, as a protocol, defines the machine with
input:
↓
α
β
γ
a
α
α
α
b
β
β
β
c
γ
γ
γ
Thus when the Grand Disturbance is a vector whose components
are all from a basic set of disturbances, the Grand Response caneither be a vector of equal variety or the output of a suitablemachine with input.

13/9. These considerations are applicable in many cases of regulation. Suppose, for definiteness, that the water bath may beaffected in each minute by one of the three individual disturbances:(a) a draught of air cooling it,(b) sunshine warming it,(c) a cold object being immersed in it.

13/10. Suppose that the regulation discussed throughout Part III is
the responsibility of some entity Q, often the possessor of theessential variables E. Through the previous chapters we have studied how the regulator R must behave. We have now seen that in thecase when the disturbances are repetitive, Q has the option ofeither being the regulator (i.e. acting as R) or of building a machine
that, once built, will act as R and will carry out a regulation ofindefinite length without further action by Q. We have thus arrived
at the question: should Q achieve the regulation directly, by his
own actions, or should he build a machine to undertake the work?
The question would also have arisen for another reason. Fromthe beginning of Part III we took for granted that the regulator
existed, and we then asked what properties it must have. Nothing
was said about how the regulator came to be made, about the factors that brought it into existence. Thus, having seen in S.10/5 how
advantageous it would be if the organism could have a regulator,
we showed no means by which the advantage could be gained.
For both these reasons we must now start to consider how a regulatory machine is actually to be designed and made. Here weshall be thinking not so much of the engineer at his bench as of thebrain that, if it is to achieve regulation in its learned reactions,must somehow cause the development of regulatory machinerywithin the nervous material available; or of the sociologist who
wants a regulatory organisation to bring harmony into society.
To understand what is involved, we must look more closely atwhat is implied, in principle, in the “designing” of a regulatory
machine.

The variety is three, but this number is hardly representative of
the variety that will actually occur over a long time. Over a year,
say, the Grand Disturbance is a long vector, with perhaps some
hundreds of components. Thus one Grand Disturbance might be
the vector (i.e. the sequence) with 400 components:(a, b, a, b, b, a, c, b, b, c, c, b, b, …c, b, a, b).
And if the individually correct responses are, respectively α, βand γ, then the Grand Response appropriate to this particular Disturbance would be the vector (i.e. sequence)(α, β, α, β, β, α, γ, β, β, γ, γ, β, β, …γ, β, α, β).
If there is no constraint in the Disturbance from component tocomponent as one goes from left to right, the whole set of possible
Disturbances has variety of 3400; and the Grand Response musthave at least as much if full regulation is to be obtained.
We now come to the point: the double sequence, as it occurredin time, shows the characteristic constraint of a machine, i.e. it
defines a machine up to an isomorphism. Thus, in the example
just given, the events occurred in the order, from left to right:a b a b b a c b b c c …, etc.
α β α β β α γ β β γ γ …, etc.

DE S I GNI NG T HE RE GUL AT OR(though not necessarily at equal time-intervals). It is now easily

3|11. Design as communication. Let us forget, temporarily, allabout “regulation”, and turn simply to certain questions related tothe design and construction of a machine, any machine.

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Our treatment of it, while losing nothing in precision, must bevery broad—that is to say, abstract—for, as biologists, we want toconsider machines of far wider type than those of steel and brass.
Within the formula
Entity Ω designs machine M

It will be noticed that the concepts of design or construction are
essentially applicable to sets, in spite of the common linguistic useof the singular. (Compare S.7/3.) Thus “the gene-pattern determines the form of the heart” is a shorthand way of saying that elements in the set of gene-patterns among different species can be
put into correspondence with those in the set of possible hearts inthe various species, like the wires at the two ends of a telephone
cable. Thus the act of “designing” or “making” a machine isessentially an act of communication from Maker to Made, and theprinciples of communication theory apply to it. In particular themeasures that were developed for treating the case in which various possible messages are reduced to one message can now beapplied to the case when various possible machines are reduced to
one machine.
A useful conceptual device for forcing this aspect into prominence is to imagine that the act of designing has to take placethrough the telephone, or by some other specific channel. The
quantities of variety can then readily be identified by identification of the actual quantity of information that will have to be transmitted.

we want to include such cases as(l) The genes determining the formation of the heart.
(2) A mechanic making a bicycle.
(3) One part of the brain determining the internal connexions ina nerve-net.
(4) A works-manager laying out a factory to get production going along certain lines.
(5) A mathematician programming an automatic computer tobehave in a certain way.
What we shall be concerned with, if we hold to the cybernetic
point of view, is not the more obvious processes of shaping or
assembling pieces of matter, but with the less obvious questions ofwhat determines the final model, of how it comes to be selected.
We are interested in tracing long chains of cause and effect, so that
we can relate a set of possible initial causes to a set of final
machines issuing as consequence; as a telephone mechanic, with acable of a hundred wires, relates each one going in at one end tosome one coming out at the other. By treating the matter in thisway we shall find that certain quantitative relations must hold; onthem we can base the ideas of the last chapter. Throughout, weshall be exemplifying the thesis of D. M. MacKay: that quantity of
information, as measured here, always corresponds to some quantity, i.e. intensity, of selection, either actual or imaginable.
The concepts of selecting, designing, constructing, building(briefly, in any way being responsible for the eventual appearanceof) an actual machine share a common property, when one identifies and measures the varieties concerned in the process. Whatmight turn up as M has variety—an embryo might produce any oneof many forms of muscular blood-pump. In fact, the gene-pattern in
Lumbricus leads to the production of an earthworm’s heart, thegene-pattern in Rana leads to the production of a frog’s heart, andthat in Homo to a man’s heart. Control, by the gene-pattern over theheart, is clearly involved. So too is regulation, for in whatever state
the molecules in Lumbricus happen to be initially (there being variety in the possibilities), under the action of the gene-pattern thevariety disappears, and a heart of standard worm’s form appears.
252

13/12. When a designer selects the final form of the machine,what does “selecting” the machine mean in terms of the general
concepts of this book? Consider the following sequence of examples, in which the final machine is a radio receiver.
The first is the case of the buyer who has three machines before
him, and he selects one. The second case, equivalent to the firstfrom the abstract point of view, occurs when the designer of aradio set, wavering between three possible circuits, finally selects
one. The third case, abstractly equivalent to the previous two,
occurs when the owner of a radio set that has three circuits built
into it, moves a switch to one of three positions and thereby
selects which circuit shall actually be used. Thus, from theabstract point of view, selecting one machine from three is equivalent to selecting one value from three at a parameter. For example, suppose the choice is to be between the three machines α, βand γ (each on the states a and b);
α: ↓ ba ab
β: ↓ aa ab
γ: ↓ ba bb
Suppose β is selected and the selector finishes with the machine
a b
↓ a a
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REGULATING THE VERY LARGE SYSTEM

Abstractly this selection is identical with having initially amachine with three-valued input:(In the transformation, dots represent values that do not matter.)
If now µ is chosen, one part gives the machine

↓
α
β
γ

a
b
a
b

b
a
a
b

↓

and then deciding that the input shall be fixed permanently at β.
(The processes are identical in the sense that if some observer
watches only the results of the processes, he cannot tell which has
occurred except by reference to other, unmentioned, criteria.)
In this example, fixing the input at β leaves the resulting
machine an absolute system, without input. If the result of theselection is to be a machine with input, then the original machinemust start with two or more inputs, so that the fixing of one by theact of design selection leaves the others free for further variation
as ordinary inputs.
The designer’s act of selecting one model from many is equivalent
to some determining factor fixing an input at a permanent value.
13/13. (This section treats a minor complication.)In the examples above, the choice has been between machines
whose transformations have had the same set of operands, i.e. thesame set of states in the machine. What if the choice were to lie
between, say,
↓

a b
b a

and

↓

p q r
?
r q r

Can such a selection be represented by the fixing of an input
value? Such a choice might occur in the early stages of design, as
when the first decision is made whether the components shall beelectronic or hydraulic.
In fact this case is contained in the former, and can be represented in it by a mere change of notation. Thus the choice justmentioned can equally be represented as that between µ and v inthe (reducible) machine, whose states are couples:↓µν(a,p) (a,q) (a,r) (b,p) (b,q) (b,r)(b .) (b .) (b .) (a .) (a .) (a .)(. r) (. q) (. r) (. r) (. q) (. r)
254

a b
b a

the other components being ignored; while if v is chosen, theother part gives
↓

p q r
r q r

Thus the initial formulation is really quite general.
13/14. Design in a Black Box. It will be noticed that the operationof “design”, as understood here, can be carried out within a BlackBox, if it has an input. In fact, the owner of the radio set (S.13/12),
if he knows nothing of its contents, but does know how the output
is affected by the switch, does perform the act of “design in a BlackBox” when he sets the switch and gets the desired behaviour.
Other examples extend the range of the same theme. The BlackBox, or the radio set, may be dominated by another machine,whose activities and values determine the switch’s position. If so,
we can say (provided we remember the sense in which we areusing the words) that the dominating machine, when it sets theswitch at a particular position, “designs” the radio set. What is
important is that the dominating machine shows to the radio set
those properties that are objectively shown by the behaviour of adesigner.
The same point of view may be applied to the brain, and we cansee how one part of a brain can show towards another part theobjective behavioural relationship of designer to machine. We canbegin to see how one part—a basal structure perhaps—can act as“designer” towards a part it dominates, towards a neural network,say.
Thus the idea of one machine designing another can be stated inexact and general terms—exact in the sense that experiment canbe used to show objectively whether or not this relationship holds.
QUANT I T Y OF S E L E CT I ON
13/15. This aspect of design—of the reduction in numbers that
occurs when the many initial possibilities are reduced to the final
few or one—can easily be measured. We can use the same scales255

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REGULATING THE VERY LARGE SYSTEM

as are used for measuring variety and information (S.7/7 and 9/11)
and they can be measured either directly or logarithmically.
The measure, besides being convenient, has the natural property that it specifies the capacity that the channel C must have

13/16. Exactly the same measure may be applied to the design ofa Markovian machine. Thus the variety between the two Markovian machines

Designer → MachineC

Ex. 1: At one stage in the design of a certain electrical machine, three distinct
ohmic resistances must have their values decided on. Each may have any
one of the values 10, 15, 22, 33, 47, 67 or loo ohms independently. How
much variety must the designer supply (by the law of Requisite Variety) if
the possibilities are to be reduced to one?
Ex. 2: (Continued. A similar three is to have its resistances selected to the nearest ohm, i.e. from the set 10, 11, 12, …, 99, 100. How much variety mustthe designer now supply ?
Ex. 3: Three resistances can each have the value of 10, 20 or 30 ohms. If they
are connected in parallel, how much variety must the designer supply if thepossible electrical properties are to be reduced to one ?
Ex. 4: How much design is needed if the decision lies between the twomachines, both with states a, b, c, d:
a

b

c

d

and

a

b

c

d

↓ c b c a ?

Ex. 5: How much design goes to the production of a penny stamp, (i) as consisting of 15,000 half-tone dots each of which may be at any one of 10
intensities? (ii) as the final form selected by Her Majesty from three submitted forms? Explain the lack of agreement.
Ex. 6: How much variety must be supplied to reduce to one the possible
machines on a given n states? (Hint: Ex. 7/7/8.)
Ex. 7: (Continued.) Similarly when the machine’s states number n and the
input’s states (after design) number i.

256↓

1/3 1/2 1/4
1/3 . 1/2
1/3 1/2 1/4

if the transmission of the necessary variety or information from
Designer to Machine is to be possible.
It will be noticed that this method does nothing to answer thequestion “how much design is there in this machine (without reference to what it might have been)?” for the measure exists only
over the set of possibilities. It applies, not to the thing that results,
but to the act of communication (S.13/11).
The exercises will help to give reality to the somewhat abstract
arguments, and will show that they agree satisfactorily with whatis evident intuitively.

↓ b a b c↓and

1/3 1/3 1/3
1/3 1/3 1/3
1/3 1/3 1/3

is just 1 bit, for we are choosing between two objects, whose innercontents—the various fractions—are here irrelevant. (This quantityof 1 bit is, of course, different from the 1.58 bits that would be associated with the right-hand matrix regarded as an information sourcethat produces 1 58 bits on the average, at each step (S.9/12).)
13/17. Selection in stages. The process of selection may be either
more or less spread out in time. In particular, it may take place indiscrete stages.
The driver about to choose a new car often proceeds in this way.
He first says, perhaps, “It must cost less than £1000”. This criterion effects some reduction in the number of possibilities. Thenperhaps he adds that it must also be able to take five people. So hegoes on. Each new criterion makes the surviving possibilities
fewer. If he can buy only one car then the criteria must eventually
reduce the possibilities to one. Somehow this reduction must be
made, even if the spin of a coin has to be used as final selector.
The abstract selection (or design) of a machine can similarly
take place in stages. Thus suppose the machine has the four statesa, b, c, d. The transformation Ta b c dT: ↓ * * * *—in which the asterisks are not yet decided on—leaves all possibilities open. The change to transformation Ua b c dU: ↓ c * b *represents a partial selection. U also represents a set of transformations, though a smaller set. So does V:
V: ↓

a

b c d

b or c * * *257

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REGULATING THE VERY LARGE SYSTEM

which excludes all single-valued transformations that include thetransitions a → a or a → d. A machine can thus be selected instages, and the stages may be defined in various ways.
What is fundamental quantitatively is that the overall selection
achieved cannot be more than the sum (if measured logarithmically)of the separate selections. (Selection is measured by the fall in variety.) Thus if a pack of cards is taken, and a 2-bit selection is madeand then a 3-bit, a unique card cannot be indicated unless a further
selection of at least 0.7 bits is made, for log2 52 is 5.7. The limitation
is absolute, and has nothing to do (if a machine is selected) with thetype of machine or with the mode of selection used.

first card is led has been selected partly by the bids of the players andpartly by chance—by the outcome of the statistically standardised
act of shuffling—which has selected the distribution of the cards.
(Compare Fig. 12/22/1.) The Rules of Bridge ensure, in fact, that adefinite part of the whole determination shall be assigned to chance,
i.e. to shuffling carried out in a prescribed way. Such an appeal tochance was frequently used in the past as a method for supplementing selection. The Roman general, for instance, after having mademany decisions, would often leave the remainder to be determinedby some other factor such as the flight of the next flock of birds, orthe configurations shown in the entrails of a freshly-killed sheep.
(Supplementation was used earlier in this book in S.4/19 and 12/15.)
In scientific work the first deliberate use of wholly uncorrelated
selectors to provide “random” determination to complete theselection imposed by the experimenter, was made apparently by
Sir Ronald Fisher; for he first appreciated its fundamental importance and usefulness.
(By saying a factor is random, I do not refer to what the factor
is in itself, but to the relation it has with the main system. Thus the
successive digits of π are as determinate as any numbers can be,
yet a block of a thousand of them might serve quite well as random numbers for agricultural experiments, not because they are
random but because they are probably uncorrelated with thepeculiarities of a particular set of plots. Supplementation by“chance” thus means (apart from minor, special requirements)
supplementation by taking effects (or variety) from a system
whose behaviour is uncorrelated with that of the main system. An
example was given in S.12/15. Thus if a chance variable wererequired, yesterday’s price of a gold-share might be suitable if themain system under study was a rat in a maze, but it would not besuitable if the main system were a portion of the financial-economic system.)Ex. 1: How many possibilities are removed when, to the closed, single-valued
transformation on a, b and c with all 27 forms initially possible, the restriction is added “It must have no state of equilibrium” ?
Ex. 2: (Continued.) When the restriction is “It must have three states of equilibrium” ?
Ex. 3: In logarithmic measure, how much selection was exerted in Ex. I ?
*Ex. 4: How much selection is exerted on an absolute system of n states, a1, a2,…, an, with all transformations initially possible, if the restriction is added“It must contain no state of equilibrium?” (Hint: To how many states may
al now transform, instead of to the n previously?) (Cf. Ex. 1.)*Ex. 5: (Continued.) To what does this quantity tend as n tends to infinity?
(Hint: Calculate it for n = 10, 100, 1000.) (This estimation can be applied
to the machine of S.12/15.)*Ex. 6: If, as described in this section, the cards of a shuffled pack are searched(without further shuffling) one by one in succession for a particular card,
how much information is gained, on the average, as the first, second, third,
etc., cards are examined? (Systematic searching.)*Ex. 7: (Continued.) How much if, after each failure, the wrong card is
replaced and the pack shuffled before the next card is drawn? (Random
searching.)

13/18. Supplementation of selection. The fact that selection canoften be achieved by stages carries with it the implication that thewhole selection can often be carried out by more than one selector, so that the action of one selector can be supplemented by theaction of others.
An example would occur if a husband, selecting a new car fromthe available models, first decided that it must cost less than £1000,
and then allowed his wife to make the remainder of the selection. It
would occur again if the wife, having reduced the number to twomodels, appealed to the spin of a coin to make the final decision.
Examples are ubiquitous. (Those that follow show supplementation by random factors, as we shall be interested in them in the next
chapter.) At Bridge, the state of the game at the moment when the258

S E L E CT I ON AND MACHI NE RY
13/19. Selection by machine. In the preceding sections we haveconsidered the questions of communication involved when amachine is to be selected. Whatever does the selecting is, however, on general cybernetic principles, also to be considered as amechanism. Thus, having considered the system
L→ M
when L acts so as to design or select the machine M, we must now
consider L as a machine, in some way acting as designer or selec259

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REGULATING THE VERY LARGE SYSTEM

tor. How can a machine select? The answer must, of course, be
given in terms compatible with those already used in this Part.
Perhaps the simplest process of selection occurs when a machine
goes along a particular trajectory, so that after state i (say) it goes tostate j (say) and not to any other of its states. This is the ordinary
selection that a machine makes when its “message” (the protocol
from it) says that the machine has this transformation and no other.
Another process of selection shown by a machine is that noticed
in S.7/24: every determinate machine shows selection as it
reduces the variety in its possible states from the maximum initially to the number of its basins finally.
Another process of selection was treated in S.5/13, when one partof a whole can select from states of equilibrium in the other part by“vetoing” some of them. This is perhaps the most obvious form of
selection, for, as the two are watched, the imaginative observer canalmost hear the vetoing part say “… no good, still no good, I won’t
have it, still no good, Hold It!—yes, we’ll keep that permanently.”
If a machine is to be built as a selector (perhaps to carry out the programme hinted at in the final section) it will, so far as I can see, haveto be built to act in this way. It is the way of the second-order feedback in Fig. 5/14/1 (supplemented in S.12/15).
There are doubtless other methods, but these will suffice forillustration, and they are sufficient to give definiteness to the ideaof a machine “selecting”; (though special consideration is hardly
necessary, for in Shannon’s theory every act of communication is
also one of selection—that by which the particular message iscaused to appear).

method that achieves the whole selection in the fewest steps isselection by successive dichotomies, so that the early selections
are between group and group, not between elements. This method
is much faster than the method of examining the N one by one,seriatim. And if N becomes very large, the method of selecting
among groups becomes almost incomparably faster. Lack ofspace prohibits an adequate treatment of this important subject,but it should not be left until I have given an example to show
something of how enormously faster the dichotomising method is.
Let us consider a really big selection. Suppose that, somewhere in
the universe (as visible to the astronomer) there is a unique atom; theselector wants to find it. The visible universe contains about
100,000000 galaxies, each of which contains about 100000,000000
suns and their systems; each solar system contains about 300000
bodies like the earth, and the earth contains about 1,000000,000000
cubic miles. A cubic mile contains about 1000,000000,000000,000000
dust particles, each of which contains about 10000,000000,000000
atoms. He wants to find a particular one!
Let us take this as a unit of very large-scale selection, and callit 1 mega-pick; it is about 1 from 1073. How long will the findingof the particular atom take?
Two methods are worth comparing. By the first, the atoms are
examined one at a time, and a high-speed electronic tester is used to
examine a million in each second. Simple calculation shows that the
number of centuries it would take to find the atom would require
more than the width of this page to write down. Thus, following thismethod dooms the selection to failure (for all practical purposes).
In the second method he uses (assuming it possible) the methodof dichotomy, asking first: is the atom in this half or that? Then,
taking what is indicated, is it in this half or that?. And so on. Suppose this could be done only at one step in each second. How long
would this method take ? The answer is: just over four minutes!
With this method, success has become possible.
This illustration may help to give conviction to the statementthat the method of selection by groups is very much faster than themethod of searching item by item. Further, it is precisely when thetime of searching item by item becomes excessively long that themethod of searching by groups really shows its power of keeping
the time short.

13/20. Duration of selection. At this point a word should be said
about how long a given act of selection may take, for when actual
cases are examined, the time taken may, at first estimate, seem toolong for any practical achievement. The question becomes specially
important when the regulator is to be developed for regulation of avery large system. Approximate calculation of the amount of selection likely to be necessary may suggest that it will take a time far
surpassing the cosmological; and one may jump to the conclusionthat the time taken in actually achieving the selection would have tobe equally long. This is far from being the case, however.
The basic principles have been made clear by Shannon, especially in his Communication theory of secrecy systems. He has
shown that if a particular selection is wanted, of 1 from N, and if
the selector can indicate (or otherwise act appropriately) only as
to whether the required element is or is not in a given set, then the260

13/21. Selection and reducibility. What does this mean when aparticular machine is to be selected ? Suppose, for definitenessthat it has 50 inputs, that each input can take any one of 25 values,261

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REGULATING THE VERY LARGE SYSTEM

and that a particular one of the possible forms is sought. This
selection is just about 1 megapick, and we know that the attempt
to select seriatim is hopeless. Can the selection be made bygroups? We can if there can be found some practical way ofgrouping the input-states.
A particular case, of great practical importance, occurs when
the whole machine is reducible (S.4/14) and when the inputs go
separately to the various sub-systems. Then the sequence: selectthe right value for part 1, on part 1’s input; select the right value
for part 2, on part 2’s input; and so on—corresponds to the selection being conducted by groups, by the fast method. Thus, if themachine is reducible the fast method of selection can be used.
In fact, reducibility is extremely common in our terrestrial systems. It is so common that we usually take it for granted, but he
who would learn how to regulate the very large system must
become fully aware of it.
To get some idea of how much the world we live in shows
reducibility, compare its ordinary behaviour with what would
happen if, suddenly, the reducibility were lost, i.e. if every variable had an effect, immediate or delayed, on every other variable.
The turning over of a page of this book, instead of being just thatand nothing more, might cause the lights to change, the table tostart moving, the clock to change its rate, and so on throughout theroom. Were the world really to be irreducible, regulation would
be so difficult as to be impossible, and no organised form of life
could persist (S.7/17).
The subject must be left now, but what was said in Design … on
“Iterated systems”, and in the chapters that followed, expands thethesis. Meanwhile we can draw the conclusion that if a responsible entity Ω (S.13/10) is to design (i.e. select) a machine to act asregulator to a very large system, so that the regulator itself issomewhat large, the achieving of the necessary selection within areasonably short time is likely to depend much on whether the
regulator can be made in reducible form.

responsible entity Q (of S.13/10) has worked successfully to agoal With whatever variety the components were initially available, an with whatever variety the designs (i.e. input values) might
have varied from the final appropriate form, the maker Q acted inrelation to the goal so as to achieve it. He therefore acted as a regulator. Thus the making of a machine of desired properties (in thesense of getting it rather than one with undesired properties) is an
act of regulation.
Suppose now that this machine of desired properties is the regulator discussed throughout Part III—how is it to be made The
answer is inescapable: by another regulator.
Is this a reduction ad absurdum of our whole position? I thinnot. For the obvious question “where does it all start?” is readily
answered. As biologists, our fundamental fact (S.10/3) is that theearth has now existed for a long time, that selection has acted
throughout this time, and that selection favours the appearance c
regulators (S.10/5). These facts alone are sufficient to account forthe presence on the earth today of many good regulators. And n~
further explanation is necessary if it should be found that some othese regulators have as goal the bringing of some mechanism tostandard form, even if the standard form is that of a regulator(with goal, of course, distinct from that of the first). The scientist
would merely be mildly curious as to why something that could
be done directly, in one stage, is actually done indirectly, in two.
We can thus answer this section’s question by saying that a regulator can be selected from some general set of mechanisms (man,non- regulatory) only by being either the survivor of some processof natural selection or by being made (another process of selection
by another regulator.

13/22. Whence the Regulator? Now at last we can answer thequestion that has been latent throughout Part III: how is thedesired regulator to be brought into being? The question was
raised in S.13/10, but since then we have explored a variety of topics, which had to be discussed before the threads could be pulled
together. Let us now survey the position.
The process of arriving eventually at a particular machine withdesired properties implies selection, and it also implies that the

13/23. Is not this making of the desired regulator by two stages
wasteful? That it should be arrived at in two stages suggests thatthe problem of getting a regulator always has to be solved before
it can be tackled!
Again, what does this imply when the very large system to be
regulated is the social and economic world and the responsible
entity Ω is some set, of sociologists perhaps, whose capacity, as aregulator, is limited to that available to the members of the species
Homo? Does this imply that no advance in regulation is possible(for the regulator will have to be built by members of the species)?
It does not; for when regulation is achieved in stages—when aregulator R1 acts so as to bring into existence a regulator R2—thecapacity of R2 is not bounded by that of R1. The possibility arises

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that R2 may be of capacity greater than R1, so that an amplification
occurs. This possibility is studied in the next chapter, where weshall see that, apart from being necessarily wasteful, the methodof regulation by stages opens up some remarkable possibilities.

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14

Chapter

AMPL IFYING R E GUL AT ION
14/1. What is an amplifier? An amplifier, in general, is a device
that, if given a little of something, will emit a lot of it. A soundamplifier, if given a little sound (into a microphone) will emit a
lot of sound. A power-amplifier, such as the one described in
S.12/21, if given a little power (enough to move L) will emit a lotof power (from H). And a money-amplifier would be a device
that, if given a little money, would emit a lot.
Such devices work by having available a generous reservoir ofwhat is to be emitted, and then using the input to act as controller
to the flow from the reservoir. Rarely an amplifier acts by directly
magnifying the input, as does the cine-projectionist’s lens; but
more commonly it works by supplementation. Thus thepower-amplifier has some source that will provide power abundantly (the compressed air at A in Fig. 12/21/1), and it is thissource that provides most of the power in the output, the input
contributing little or nothing towards the output. Similarly, thework performed by the cranedriver on the control-handle doesnothing directly towards lifting the main weight, for the whole ofhis work is expended in moving electrical or other switch gear.
It will be seen that in the power amplifier (e.g. that of Fig. 12/21/
1) the whole process—that of lifting a heavy weight at H, by aforce at L—goes in two stages, by two coupled systems. It is thisseparation into two stages that makes power-amplification possible, for otherwise, i.e. in one stage, the law of conservation ofenergy would make any simple and direct amplification of power
impossible. Stage 1 consists of the movement, by the operator, ofthe point L against the friction at K and the pressure at V; over thisstage energy, or power, is conserved strictly. Stage 2 consists of the
movement of compressed air into or out of B and the lifting of P,
G and H; over this stage, also, energy is conserved; for the energy
used when the weight at H is lifted is derived from the expansionof the compressed air. Thus the whole system can be regarded ascomposed of two systems, within each of which energy is conserved strictly, and so coupled that forces of 0, 1, 2…dynes at L
correspond respectively to forces of 0, 1000, 2000,… dynes (or265A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CSAMPLIFYING REGULATION

some other multiple) at H. It is the division into two stages thatenables a power-amplifier to be built in spite of the law of conservation of energy, the point being that the energy supplied to the
input in stage 1 can be supplemented to give the output in stage 2.
Sometimes the proportionality is important, as in the radio
amplifier. Then the machine has to be made so that the ratio has
the same value all along the scale. In other cases the exact valueof the ratio is of little importance, as in the crane, the essential
point in it being that the input values shall all be within somegiven limit (that set by the strength of the crane driver’s arm) andthat the output shall be supplemented generously, so that it muchexceeds the value of the input.

Obviously, both points of view are right. Designers of cranes
should be well aware that they are not really amplifiers, but theusers of them should think of them as if they were.

Ex.: Design a “water-amplifier”, i.e. a device that, if water is pumped into the
input at x ml/see will emit, from its output, water at 100x ml/sec.

14/2. The process of amplification can thus be looked at from twovery different points of view, which are apt to lead to two very different opinions about whether amplification does or does notoccur.
On the one side stands the theoretician—a designer of cranes,
perhaps, who must understand the inner nature of the process if heis to make the crane effective. To him there is no real amplification: the power emitted does not exceed the (total) power supplied. He knows that the operator at the control is successful
simply because the operator can, as it were, rob other sources ofenergy (coal, oil, etc.) to achieve his end. Had Nature not provided
the coal as a generous source of supplementation, the operator
would not be able to lift the heavy load. The operator gets “amplification” simply by calling in King Coal to help him. So the basic
type of amplifier is the boy who can lift big weights—because hisfather is willing to lift them for him!
All this is true; yet on the other side stands the practical man
who wants to use the thing, the man who decides what machinery
to install at the quay-side, say. If he has access to an abundantsource of cheap power, then for him “amplification” becomesvery real and practical. It means the difference between the ships
being loaded quickly and easily by movements of a control handle, or slowly and laboriously by hand. When the load is larger, a
locomotive for instance, the non-availability of a power-amplifier
might mean that the job could not be done at all. Thus, to the practical man the possibility of such an apparent amplification is ofgreat importance.

14/4. Regulation and selection. In S.13/10 we started to consider
what would get the regulator (previously assumed to be given)
into actual existence, either as a formula for behaving, contained
within the organism (Q) that wants the regulation, or as a material
machine built by the organism to act for him. We saw that thequantity of design that goes to it can be measured (by the amountof selection necessary) and we saw (S.13/18) that selection can, ina sense, be amplified. To make the matter clearer, let us consider
more directly the relation between regulation and selection, especially so far as the quantities of variety or information are concerned. If the diagram of immediate effects is
Designer → RegulatorC
we want to know how much variety or information the channel C
between them will have to carry.
To get a regulator made, selection is essential. Here are three
examples:The first regulator we discussed (S.11/3) led to our identifying
it as
1 2 3
R: ↓ β α γand this particular transformation (the regulatory) had to be
selected from the set of all transformations possible, which numbered, in this case, 27 (cf. Ex. 7/7/8). Here the regulator is “made”
by being unambiguously specified, i.e. distinguished from theothers.
In S.13/12 another method was used, and a machine, whichmight be a regulator, was “designed” by a particular value being
selected from the set of possible input-values.

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14/3. We can now see how we should view the question of amplifying regulation. During the designing (in this chapter) we shallhave to be clearly aware that the designer is really achieving only
a supplementation, by robbing some easily available and abundant source of it. When he comes to use it, however (a matter for
the future), he should forget the fact, and should know only that
he is now like a workman equipped with power-operated tools,
able to achieve tasks impossible to the unaided workman.

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CSAMPLIFYING REGULATION

A third method for getting a regulator made is to assemble it in
hardware, as a mechanic makes a water bath. Again selection isnecessary: components have to be selected (distinguished) fromother possible objects, and the mode of assembling and coupling
has to be selected from the other, incorrect, modes. The quantityof selection used can be measured; and any dispute about themeasurement can be resolved by the method of S.13/11 (final paragraph).
It follows from S.13/18 that if the final regulator can be arrived
at by stages (the whole selection occurring in stages) the possibility exists that the provision of a small regulator at the first stage
may lead to the final establishment of a much bigger regulator (i.e.
one of larger capacity) so that the process shows amplification.
This is the sense in which “amplifying” regulation is to beunderstood. The law of Requisite Variety, like the law of Conservation of Energy, absolutely prohibits any direct and simple magnification but it does not prohibit supplementation.

not worth serious consideration. (It is not, however, more blatant
than the crane-driver’s dependence on a suitable power supply.)
This case, however, is only somewhat extreme (having been
selected to show one end of the scale). Other cases lie further
along the scale, and are of more general interest. The principle,
however, remains unaltered.
Next consider the case in which Q wants a water bath to berestored to a certain temperature; restorations will be required 100
times in each day and over a whole year. This means that on
36,500 occasions the temperature must be corrected by a raisingor a lowering—a one-bit selection, say. The whole Grand Disturbance (S.13/8) thus has variety of 236S00 possibilities. Q probably could transmit this in the year, but finds it inconvenient. Ifthen his resources are such that he can make a thermostat at a costof, say, 1000 bits, then by using the fact that the Grand Disturbance is repetitive (S.13/9), the act of selecting appropriately from1000 bits has as consequence the correct selection from 36,500
bits. So an amplification of about x 36 (if measured on the logarithmic scale) has occurred.
This second example is more ordinary than the first. The factthat its method is widely used in practice shows whether or not thepractical man thinks it worth while.
There is, of course, not necessarily any amplification; and thepractical man, before he builds a machine to do a job, always
makes at least an intuitive assessment of the balance:

14/5. Let us consider some examples which will actually showsuch amplification of regulation.
Suppose the disturbances are fluctuations in the mains’ voltage,
which come to an apparatus owned by Q at the rate of hundreds asecond, and threaten to disturb it. Assume that the variety per second provided by these disturbances far exceeds his capacity as achannel, so it is impossible for him to regulate against them bydirect personal action. However, he has available a manufacturer’s catalogue, which shows three items:
1: Television set,
2: Mains stabiliser,
3: Frequency changer.
Assume that it is within his capacity for him to make a suitableselection of one from three; if now he performs the appropriate
selection, the end result will be that the brains’ supply to his apparatus will become stabilised. Thus his three possible primary
selections can be put into correspondence with three outcomes,
one of which is “mains’ voltage stabilised”.
The latter regulation (over, say, a year) involves far more selection than of one from three; so over the whole transaction an
undoubted amplification has occurred.
In this example the supplementation is so obvious, and his
dependence on the manufacturer’s power as a designer so blatant,that the reader may be tempted to dismiss this “amplification” as

Cost incurred by doing it
Cost (in some sense) of making
himself.
the machine which will do thejob.
What this chapter deals with are the actual quantities involved,
when our interest is centred on the amount of communication andselection that is required.
Finally let us consider an example in which the possibility of
amplification is obvious and of practical use. Suppose twenty men
are given the task of keeping two thousand rooms constant in temperature and humidity. If some means of control exists in eachroom, the twenty may yet find the task beyond their capacity ifthey try to compensate for all the atmospheric variations bymanipulation of the controls directly. It may happen, however,that machines are available such that if the men become mechanics and act as regulators to the machines, the machines can bemade into air-conditioners and maintained as such. And it may
further happen that the amount of regulation that the mechanics

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can supply to the conditioners is sufficient to keep the conditioners effectively in control of the two thousand rooms. Thus the regulation that could not be done in one stage may, if the conditions
are suitable, be possible in two.
The quantities of communication (the channel capacities)
involved in these regulations could be measured to any desired
accuracy, and the exact degree of any amplification ascertained.
Thus if amplification had actually occurred, the reality of the fact
could be demonstrated beyond dispute.
Whence (in the last example) comes the supplementation? In
general, from whatever supplies the other inputs. In the example
just given, these include the other factors that contributed to themachines’ design and manufacture, and also the environment
itself, which communicates to the conditioner, and not to themechanic, what is the temperature and humidity at each moment.
As a result, these sources of information play a part in the total
regulation, without using the mechanic as a channel.
The example just given shows two levels of regulation, but there
is no reason why the number should stop at two. A doctor who
looks after the set of mechanics and keeps them healthy and able
to work might claim, so far as the rooms were concerned, to be a
regulator at the third level. The matter need not be pursued further
once the principle is clear, especially since many cases will probably not show the various regulators arranged in a simple hierarchy.

ultimate regulation far greater than could be achieved by thegene-pattern directly.
A clear example of how one regulator can act so as to cause thedevelopment of another occurred in S.12/15. Part B of the homeostat was built and thus became the primary regulator Rl. Coupled
to Part A, it acts so as to cause A to become stable with its needles
at the centre. When this is achieved, A acts as a regulator (R2)
towards disturbances coming to it that would make the needles
diverge. Though the R2 of this particular example is extremely
simple, nothing in principle separates this case from those inwhich the regulator R2 is of any degree of complexity.
The method of achieving regulation in two stages, by which thegene- pattern makes R1, and Rl makes R2, is the method of the
mammals, whose gene-pattern is used, in its action on the embryo
brain, to determine the development at birth of some fundamental
regulators (Rl) whose action is not immediately to the organism’s
advantage. From birth onwards, however, they act towards the
cerebral cortex so as to develop in it a vast regulatory mechanism(R2) that, by the time adulthood arrives, is a much better regulator(i.e. of larger capacity) than could have been produced by theaction of the gene-pattern directly.
Whence comes the supplementation? From random sources as
in S.12/15 and from the environment itself! For it is the environment that is forced to provide much of the determination about
how the organism shall act. Thus gene-pattern and environment
both contribute to the shaping of the fully developed adult, and in
this way the quantity of design supplied by the gene-pattern is
supplemented by design (as variety and information) comingfrom the environment. Thus the adult eventually shows more regulatory capacity than could have been determined by thegene-pattern alone. The amplification of regulation is thus no newthing, for the higher animals, those that adapt by learning, discovered the method long ago.
May it not be possible that the amplification can be increased
even further? If so, is there not a possibility that we can use ourpresent powers of regulation to form a more highly developed
regulator, of much more than human capacity, that can regulate
the various ills that occur in society, which, in relation to us, is avery large system?

14/6. Amplification in the brain. We can now understand quantitatively why this indirect method has proved superior—why it is
the method used by those organisms that have the most powerful
resources for regulation—it allows amplification.
The gene-pattern, as a store or channel for variety, has limited
capacity. Survival goes especially to those species that use thecapacity efficiently. It can be used directly or indirectly.
The direct use occurs when the gene-pattern is used directly to
specify the regulator. The regulator is made (in the embryo) andthe organism passes its life responding to each disturbance as thegene-pattern has determined. Amplification does not occur (fromour present point of view, though some advantage is gained (S.13/
9) if the disturbances recur frequently in the organism’s lifetime).
The indirect use occurs when the gene-pattern builds a regulator(R1) whose action is to build the main regulator (R2), especially if
this process is raised through several orders or levels. By achieving the ultimate regulation through stages, the possibility oflarge-scale supplementation occurs, and thus the possibility of an
270

14/7. Amplifying intelligence. This book is intended to be an
Introduction, and for twelve chapters it has kept to its purpose.
The last two chapters, however, have developed the subject some271

A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C Y BERNETI CS

what speculatively, partly to give the reader practice in applying
the earlier methods, and partly to show what lies ahead, for theprospects are exciting.
In S.13/18 we saw that selection can be amplified. Now “problem solving” is largely, perhaps entirely, a matter of appropriate
selection. Take, for instance, any popular book of problems andpuzzles. Almost every one can be reduced to the form: out of acertain set, indicate one element. Thus of all possible numbers ofapples that John might have in his sack we are asked to find a certain one; or of all possible pencil lines drawn through a given pattern of dots, a certain one is wanted; or of all possible distributionsof letters into a given set of spaces, a certain one is wanted. It is,
in fact, difficult to think of a problem, either playful or serious,that does not ultimately require an appropriate selection as necessary and sufficient for its solution.
It is also clear that many of the tests used for measuring “intelligence” are scored essentially according to the candidate’s powerof appropriate selection. Thus one test shows the child a common
object and asks its name: out of all words the child must select theproper one. Another test asks the child how it would find a ball ina field: out of all the possible paths the child must select one of thesuitable few. Thus it is not impossible that what is commonlyreferred to as “intellectual power” may be equivalent to “power ofappropriate selection”. Indeed, if a talking Black Box were toshow high power of appropriate selection in such matters—sothat, when given difficult problems it persistently gave correct
answers—we could hardly deny that it was showing the behavioral equivalent of “high intelligence”.
If this is so, and as we know that power of selection can beamplified, it seems to follow that intellectual power, like physicalpower, can be amplified. Let no one say that it cannot be done, forthe gene-patterns do it every time they form a brain that grows up
to be something better than the gene-pattern could have specified
in detail. What is new is that we can now do it synthetically, consciously, deliberately.
But this book must stop; these are not matters for an Introduction.

272

REFERENCESR E FE R E NC E S
ASHBY, W. ROSS. Design for a Brain. Chapman & Hall, London; 2nd imp.,
1954.
ldem. The applications of cybernetics to psychiatry. Jounial of Mental
Science; 100, 114–124, 1954.
Idem. The effect of experience on a determinate dynamic system. Behavioral
Science, 1, 35–42, 1956
BELLMAN, R. Stability theory of differential equations. McGraw-Hill Book
Co., New York, 1953.
BOURBAKI, N. Theorie des ensembles; fascicule de resultats. A.S.E.I. No.
1141 Hermann & Cie., Paris; 2nd edition, 1951.
Idem. Aigebre, Chapire I, A.S.E.I. No. 1144
Idem. Topologie generale, Chapitre 1, A.S.E.I. No. 1142.
CANNON, WALTER B. The wisdom of the body. London, 1932.
FISHER, SIR R. and YATES, F. Statistical tables. Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh,
1943.
GOLDMAN, S. Information theory. Constable & Co., London; 1953.
GRANIT, R., LEKSELL, L., and SKOGLUND, C. R. Fibre interaction in injured
or compressed region of nerve. Brain; 67, 125–140, 1944.
LASHLEY, K. S. in Cerebral mechanisms in behavior. John Wiley & Sons,
New York; 1951.
LEWIN, K. Principles of topological psychologJe McGraw-Hill Book Co.,New York, 1936.
MACKAY, D. M. Quantal aspects of scientific information. Philosophical
Magazine; 41, 289–311; 1950.
NEUMAN, J. VON, and MORGENSTERN, O. Theory of games and economic
behavior. Princeton, 1947.
PAVLOV, I. P. Conditioned reflexes. Oxford University Press, 1927.
RIGUET, J. Fondements de la théorie des relations binaires. Thèse de Paris;
1951
Idem. Sur les rapports entre les concepts de machine de multipole et destructure algebrique. Comptes rendues de l'Academie des Sciences, 237,
425–7, 1953.
SHANNON, C. E. Communication theory of secrecy systems. Bell Systemtechnical Journal, 28, 656–715, 1949.
Idem. The synthesis of two-terminal switching circuits. Ibid.; 28, 59–98, 1949.
Idem. Computers and automata. Proceedings of the Institute of RadioEngineers; 41, 1235–41; 1953.
Idem and WEAVER, W. The mathematical theory of communication.
University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 1949.
SOMMERHOFF, G. Analytical biology. Oxford University Press, London; 1950.
TINBERGEN, N. The study of instinct. Oxford University Press, London; 1951.
TUSTIN, A. The mechanism of economic systems. Heinemann, London, 1953.
WIENER, N. Cybernetics. John Wiley & Sons, New York; 1948.

273INDEX(The number refers to the page. A bold-faced number indicates a definition.)
Boom and slump, 109
Borrowed knowledge, 90
Bourbaki, N., 97, 113, 158, 273
Boyle’s law, 45
Braille, 185
Breeding, 70
Brewing, 112
Bridge, 258
Brownian movement, 78, 186
Buses, aggregation, 81
Button and string, 22, 100

ABSOLUTE SYSTEM, 41, 89
Absorbing state, 229
Aerofoil, 94
Air-conditioner, 200
Altitude, 222
Amino-acid, 111, 197
Ammonia, 110
Amphioxus, 3
Amplifier, of power, 238— of regulation, 265— of intelligence, 271
Andersen, H., 119
Aphasia, 86
Argon, 64
Arrow, 130
Ashby, W. Ross, 273
Association, 133
Asterisk, vi
Atom, 261
Auspices, 259
Autocatalysis, 71, 196
Automatic pilot, 199, 200
Avalanche, 71
Averages, 91

CANNON, W. B., 195, 273
Canonical representation, 29, 36— —, deduction of, 90
Capacity, 179
Car, 215, 257— skidding, 203
Carbon dioxide, 81, 237
Card, identifying, 125— cutting, 141
Cash register, 15Casting, 26
Cat, 122, 197
Causalgia, 82
Chain, Markov, 165
Chair, 131
Chameleon, 130
Change of state, 9— of input, 43
Channel, 130, 154— capacity, 179
Chaos, 131
Chasing, 145
Chess, 12, 241
Clock, 25
Closure, 11, 28, 76, 108
Cloud, 30
Coding, 140, 243—, alphabetic, 11—in brain, 140
Coenetic variable, 212

BACTERIA, 29, 30, 125, 183
Balancing, 156
Basin, 23— as selector, 260
Battle of Life, 241
Behaviour, line of, 25—, change of, 43
Behaviourism, I
Bellman, R., 73, 273
Beverage, 123
Bicycle, 199
Binary digit, 126
Bit, 126
Black Box, 86, 255
Blood count, 190
Blood group, 125
Bomb-sight, 86289

AN INTRODUCTION TO CYBERNETICS

Degrees of freedom, 129
Delay, 156
Delayer, 148
Derivative, 116
Design, 251
Design for a Brain, v, 41, 52, 79, 84
116, 143, 196, 262, 273
Determinacy, search for, 91— in Bridge, 259
Determinate machine, 24, 225
Diagonal, 16
Diagram of immediate effects, 57— — —, deduction of, 92
Diagram of ultimate effects, 57
Dichotomy, 261
Dictator, 213
Die, 169
Difference, 9Differential equation, 35, 96— —, stability theory, 113
Discrete change, 9, 28
Discrimination, 103
Displacement, 77
Dissociation, 169
Distinction, 103
Distortion, 188
Disturbance, 77, 198
repetitive, 247
Divergence, 134
Dominance, 53
Door, 86
Duel, 201
Duration of selection, 260

Coffee, 123, 137
Coin, 156, 232
Cold, 238
Commander, 211
Communication, 123Complex system, 4Component, 31
Composition, 21
Compound, 216, 217
Computer, 96, 116
Conditioned reflex, 133Cone, 73
Confidence, 163
Confluence, 134
Conjuring, 114, 125, 137
Connexion, 65—, deducing, 92
Conservation of energy, 131, 265
Constant, 215
Constraint, 100, 127, 173, 247
Continuity, 9, 28— as constraint, 133
Control, 193, 213— -flow chart, 57— by error, 219— panel, 88
Convergence, 134
Cooling, 26, 137
Correction, 211
Corruption, 186
Cough, 247
Counterfeit coin, 156
Coupling, 48—, random, 63— and equilibrium, 82— Markovian machines, 227
Crane, 240
Cricket, 15
Criterion, 257
Cube, 73
Culture medium, 29, 30
Cutting pack, 141
Cybernetics defined, 1
Cycle, 75

EARTH, CONSTRAINTS ON, 131—, age of, 196—, reducibility on, 262
Economic system, 37
Effect, immediate, 56—, ultimate, 57
Effector, 220
Elastic, 112
Electro-mechanical analogy, 96
Element, 122, 191
Elimination, 18
Embody, 29
Emergent property, 110
Energy, 3, 131, 240, 265
English, 170
Entropy (of communication theory),
174, 207
Entropy (of thermodynamics), 112

DARLINGTON, C. D., 193
Death, 197
Decay of variety, 136
De-coding, 141
Definition, vii
Degeneracy, 46
Degree of confidence, 163

290

INDEX

Ghosts, 60
Goal, 81, 219, 230
Goldman, S., 110, 273
Golfer, 231
Grand Disturbance, 249— Response, 249
Granit, R., 82, 273
Graph, 94—, kinematic, 22— as constraint, 130
Guest, 204
Gunpowder, 70
HALF-TRUTH, 104
Haunted house, 60
Heart, 252
History of system, 115, 170
Hitler, A., 213
Homeostasis, 81, 196
Homeostat, 83, 233, 260, 271
Homo, 198, 252
Homomorphism, 103
Hot or cold ?, 235
House lights, 125
Humours, 191
Hunt and stick, 230
Hunter, 200
Hunting, 236
Hydrogen chloride, 110— 1odide, 122

136, 177
Environment, 271
Epistemology, 87
Equality of vectors, 31
Equations, differential, 35—, unsolvable, 37
Equilibrium, 74—, stable, 77—, unstable, 78—, neutral, 78— and coupling, 82— in Markov chain, 167, 229—, absent, 258
Equivocation, 189
Error, 190, 219
Essential variables, 197
Ethyl acetate, 71
Even and odd, 104
Everyman, 122
Evolution, 196
Exercises, vi
Experience, law of, 137
Experimentation, 89
Exponential growth, 70— series, 173
Expression, 30
Eyes, 130
FACTOR, 5
Feedback, 51, 53, 237— and stability, 80— and variety, 157
Felis, 122
Fencer, 201
Fermentation, 125, 183
Fibonacci, 19
Fisher, Sir Ronald, 5, 245, 259— and F. Yates, 234, 273
Fluxion, 74
Fly-paper, 167, 229
Flying Saucer, 87
Form, 31
Fourier analysis, 47
Frequency, 47, 163

IDENTITY, 15
Immediate effect, 56
diagram, 57
Inaccessible, 92
Incense, 60
Incessant transmission, 161
Incomplete observation, 113
Incubator, 236
Independence in behaviour, 58— in variety, 128
Infinitesimal, 9Information, 123, 245— theory, 3—, gain of, 178
Initial state as noise, 217
Input, 44, 87— and design, 254
Insect, 165
Insolubility, 69
Instinct, 26
Instrumentation, 143
Insulator, 93

GALE WARNING, 140
Galileo, 121
Game, 202, 240
Gas law, 45, 62
Gene-pattern, 62, 198, 270
General, 211
Geometry, 2291

AN INTRODUCTION TO CYBERNETICS— as regulator, 251— as selector, 259
MacKay, D. M., 252, 273
Magnetic tape, 116
Maiden over, 15Main diagonal, 16
Manipulation, 92
Maneuvre, 211
Many-one, 15Map, 94
Markov chain, 91, 166
Markovian machine, 225
Massless spring, 2Materiality, 60
Mathematical physics, 2, 27, 96
Matrix, 15— transition probabilities, 163—, pay-off, 241
Matter, laws of, 60
Maze, 86, 114, 134, 228
Meaning, 143
Mechanism, 24
Mega-pick, 261
Memory, 115, 170
Message, 123
Mine, 92
Mode, 101
Model, 96, 105
Momentum, 40
Monitoring, 180
Morgenstern, 0., 241, 273
Motor channel, 220
Mouse, 197
Multiplication, 104—, mental, 180
Myelin, 221

Integration, 37, 173
Intelligence, 82, 271
Interference, 158
Invariant, 73, 121, 130, 215
Inverse, 142
Inversion, 145
Inverter, 147
Iionization, 122
I.Q., 272
Isomorphism, 92, 97
Iterated systems, 262
JOINING, 48— and equilibrium, 82
Jump, 9, 28
KEY, 142
Kinematic graph, 22
LACTOSE, 125
Laplace transform, 145
Large system: see Very
Lashley, K. S., 62, 273
Lattice, 107
Laughter, 60
Law of Nature, 130— of Experience, 137— of Requisite Variety, 206
Learning, 92, 133, 271
Lethal, 197
Lewin, K., 113,273
Lights, house, 125—, traffic, 127
Limit, 197— of regulation, 211
Line, transformation of, 20— of behaviour, 25
Linear system, 36
LocalisatiOn, 68, 112
Locomotive, 80
Logarithm to new base, 126
Lumbricus, 252

NATURAL SELECTION, 196
Nature, law of, 130
Neighbourhood, 77
Negative feedback, 80
Network, 66, 93, 160, 252
Neumann, J. von, 62, 241, 273
Neurons, 252—, number of, 62—, circuit of, 82, 137
Neutral equilibrium, 78
Nitrogen, 64
Noise, 186, 216—, correction of, 211
Noises, ghostly, 60
Non-determinate, 161

MACHINE, THEORY OF, 1—, determinate, 24— with input, 44— seeing itself, 55—, test for, 90— as constraint, 132— set of states, 135—, Markovian, 225

292

INDEX

Posture, 30
Power amplifier, 238
Power of transformation, 16, 170

Normal co-ordinates, 101
Notation, 13, 20, 33
OBJECT, 131
Observation, incomplete, 113
Odd and even, 104Omen, 259
One-one, 14
Operand, 10
Operator, 10— of clock, 25
Organ-playing, 60
Oscillation, 168
Oscillator, 36
Outcome, 203
Output, 46, 88
Ovum, 3Oxygen, 222
Oyster, 69

Predator, 241
Prediction, 132
Pre-fabrication, 268
Pressure, 45
Prey, 241
Prices, 34
Prisoner, 123, 124
Probability, 122— as variable, 40—, constant, 162
Problem-solving, 272
Product, 21
Programming, 252
Properties, breeding, 70
Protocol, 88—, constraint in, 132
Protoplasm, 68
Provider, 201
Psychology, topological, 113
Puzzle, 272

PANTAGRUEL, 129
Parameter, 43
Parry, 201, 241
Part, 100, 112— and equilibrium, 82
Part-function, 66
Pattern, 30, 94
Pavlov, I. p., 133, 273
Pay-off matrix, 241
Pendulum, 34, 39, 121—, feedback within, 54
Permanence, 193
Persistence, 108, 193
Personality Test, 125
Petrol, 81
pH, 237
Phase space, 37
Photograph, 94
Physiological limits, 197
Physiology, 193
π, 259Pilot, 211—, automatic, 199, 200
Playfair, 141
Pneumatic amplifier, 238
Pneumonia, 26
Poincaré, H., 113
Point, representative, 22Pool, 165
Population, 29, 30, 167
Position, 31
Positive feedback, 81

RADIO DESIGNING, 253
Rana, 252
Random, 63, 259— numbers, 234— searching, 236, 258
Rayleigh, Lord, 64
Receptor, 220
Red corpuscles, 222
Reducibility, 60— and selection, 261
Redundancy, 130, 182
References, 273
Reflex, 247
Regenerative circuit, 82, 137
Region, stable, 76, 229
Regulation, 193—, limit of, 211—, automatic, 251—, amplifying, 265
Reinforcement, 133
Re-labelling, 97
Relay, 84, 93
Repetition, 89, 121, 247
Replicates, 136
Representation, canonical, 29
Representative point, 22
Requisite Variety, law of, 206, 245

293

AN INTRODUCTION TO CYBERNETICS

Reservoir, 238
Residues, 35
Resistances, 256
Respiratory centre, 81
Retina, 188
Reverberation, 137
Riguet, J., 158, 273
Rods, 160
Rubber, 112

Square of transformation, 17
Stability, 23, 73, 113— under displacement, 77— and survival, 197— in Markovian machine, 228
Stable region, 76, 229
Stages of regulation, 263— of amplification, 265
Stamp, 256
Standard, 246
Star cluster, 113
State, 25
stationary, 30— of equilibrium, 74, 229—, inaccessible, 92—, initial, as noise, 217—, absorbing, 229
Stationary, 30
Statistical mechanics, 62
Statistics, 245—, determinacy in, 91
Steady state, 30, 169
Steering, 203, 211, 215
Steermanship, 1
Step-function, 242
Stepping switch, 84
Stickleback, 26
Stochastic, 162
Stock breeder, 62
Strategy, 205, 240
Sub-system, 48
Sugar, 111
Supernova, 248
Supplementation, 65, 162— of selection, 258
Survival, 77, 197
Switch, as input, 43, 253
System, 40—, complex, 4—, economic, 37—, absolute, 41—, definition of, 106, 227—, very large: see Very

SAMPLING, REPEATED, 172
School, 139
Science, 107, 121, 131
Scout, 155
Searching, 236, 258
Secrecy system, 141, 243, 273
See-saw, 82
Selection, 235, 236
natural, 196—, quantity of, 255
by machine, 259
Self-locking, 69, 234
Self-observation, 55
Self~reproduction, 111, 196
Semaphore, 125Sensory channel, 220
Sequence, 155, 172
Series, exponential, 173
Set, 122— and machine, 135
Shannon, C. E., vi, 93, 123, 161,
207, 243, 245, 260, 273
Shell, 198
Shivering, 238
Shuffling, 259
Signal, 183, 221
Silver chloride, 68
Simple proportions, 131
Simplification, 103Singing, 60
Single-valued, 14— system, 39
Siphon, 238
Size of system, 61— of inverter, 151
Skid, 203
Skull, 201
Smoke, 183
Sommerhoff, G., 211, 273
Sophistication, 92
Speech, 127
Speedometer, 146

INDEX

Uniselector, 84
Unsolvable equations, 37
Unstable, 78

Thermal agitation, 78, 186
Thermodynamics, 136
Thermostat, 135, 198, 200
Thing, 131
Thirst, 224
Threat, 221
Threshold, 66
Till, 15
Tinbergen, N., 26, 273
Tinder Box, 119Topology, 85, 113
Tortoise, 198
Trace, 115
Traffic lights, 127
Train, 80
Trajectory, 25, 94— of Markovian machine, 229
Transducer, 44, 143
Transform, 10—, multiple, 161
Transformation, 10—, single-valued, 14—, one-one, 14—, many-one, 15—, identical, 15—, geometric, 20—, embodiment, 29—, random, 65, 126, 135—, inverse, 142
Transient, 48
Transition, 10—, observing, 146—, probability, 163
Transmission, 140—, incessant, 161
Trial and error, 230
Triunique, 45
Tustin, A., 37, 237, 273
Twenty Questions, 126
Tyrant, 213
Tyre, 122

VARIABLE, 31, 100— in system, 40—, missing, 114—, essential, 197
Variety, 119, 125, 126—, requisite, 206— in vectors, 249
Vector, 31— equality, 31— constraint, 128—, sequence as, 172—, variety in, 249
Velocity, 74
Very large system, 61, 85, 109—— —, regulating the, 244
Veto, 83—, regulation by, 233, 260
Vitamins, 40
Vocabulary, 4Vocal cords, 180
Volume, 45
WAGES, 34
Warder, 123
Water-amplifier, 266
Water-bath, 135, 198, 249
Way of behaving, 43
Weather, 31
Weaver, W., 273
Weighing coins, 156
Whole, 112— and equilibrium, 82
Wholeness, degree of, 68
Wiener, N., 1, 123, 177, 273
Work amplifier, 240
ZERO VARIETY, 126, 137— entropy, message of, 211

ULTIMATE EFFECT, 57
Ultrastability, 83, 233, 242

TABETIC, 220
Tachometer, 146
Tap, 234
Tea-taster, 135
Telegraph, 161, 211
Telephone, 161
Temperature, 135, 198, 237, 238
Testudo, 198294295