Computational Science Technical Note CSTN-029

A Review of Measures of Complexity for Spatial, Computational and Information Structures

K. A. Hawick

Archived October 2005

Abstract

Quantification of complexity in complex systems continues to be elusive. This note attempts to explain why. I give a review of various attempts to formulate complexity metrics and their relative ease of construction and utility values. I present a number of worked examples as well as pointers into the complex systems and information theory literature. I also give some discussion on what (I think) complexity might really mean and how it can help us characterise and categorise systems at some level.

Keywords:complexity; complexity measures; complex systems.

Full Document Text: Not yet available. Restricted to Massey Internal at present.


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