Complex Systems: A Survey
A complex system is a system composed of many interacting par ts, often called agents, which displays collective behavior that does not follow trivially from the behaviors o f the individual parts. Examples include condensed matter systems, ecosystems, stock markets and economies, b iological evolution, and indeed the whole of human society. Substantial progress has been made in the quantita tive understanding of complex systems, particularly since the 1980s, using a combination of basic theory, much of it derived from physics, and computer simulation. The subject is a broad one, drawing on techniques and ideas fr om a wide range of areas. Here I give a survey of the main themes and methods of complex systems science and an annotated bibliography of resources, ranging from classic papers to recent books and reviews.