Welcome to

[UTC2715/UTS2707] Decoding Complexity

Edition 2023
About me

- Mikhail [Michael] Filippov

- PhD in Applied Physics
- Founded a company which is translating code to
English and enables smart search on code base
- Interested in complex systems: human history,
tsunamis, tropical atmosphere, economics, human
brain
About you

● Name
● Major
● Why did you take this module?
Outline of this class
What UTC2715/UTS2707 is
about?
Course roadmap
Course assessment
Important dates
Communication channels
Recurring principles and goals
UTC2715/UTS2707 does not

.. require programming background

UTC2715/UTS2707 does not

.. require programming background

.. require advanced math skills
UTC2715/UTS2707 does not

.. require programming background

.. require advanced math skills:
Arithmetics and basic algebra
would be enough
Course structure

Lectures
Tutorials & Discussions
Personal projects
Course assessment
Tutorials/Seminars 20%

Tests 20%

Project 60%

Total 100%
Course assessment
Tutorials consist of three elements: participation,
Tutorials 20% class summaries and presentation.
Tests 20% Participation is your activity in class and in Slack:
questions and comments.
Project 60%
Class summaries to be posted in your channel in
Total 100%
Slack each week. 1-3 aspects that you have learnt
in this seminar. Something you find interesting and
useful.

You will also have to present something that excites

you: academic paper, industry solution, model etc.
If possible, make it relevant to your project. Once
per semester.
Course assessment
Tutorials 20% There will be 2 tests: mid-term and end-term.

Tests 20% They will consist of questions and problems

similar to those discussed during classes.
Project 60%
Results will be published 1 week after the
Total 100%
test.
Course assessment
Tutorials 20% Each one of you will have to chose and
develop a project of interest.
Tests 20%
Each project to be done personally.
Project 60%
Project could be of academic, business or
Total 100%
social nature.

You will have to submit the first version before

reading week and the final version on week 12
Important dates: Presentations
Presentations

W2-W12
Important dates: Tests

Midterm W6

Final W12
Important dates: Project
First version #1
Deadline: W6

Final version #2
Deadline: W12

Presentations: W13
Slack
Thinking and learning are
constant and individual
processes.
Community is your
accelerator.
Join at:
https://join.slack.com/t/n
us-d439611/shared_invit
e/zt-1n3wyq1mq-0feXigfy
OZW4k5dO2aPmzw
Before next class, please
1. Register on UTC2715/UTS2707 Slack
Before next class, please
1. Register on UTC2715/UTS2707 Slack
2. Slack convention: names, pics, mention me (or
anyone else) with @, use Slack as a draft board
Before next class, please
1. Register on UTC2715/UTS2707 Slack
2. Slack convention: names, pics, mention me (or
anyone else) with @, use Slack as a draft board
3. Don’t overthink, iterate on your projects
Before next class, please
1. Register on UTC2715/UTS2707 Slack
2. Slack convention: names, pics, mention me (or
anyone else) with @, use Slack as a draft board
3. Don’t overthink, iterate on your projects
4. Read around, ask questions & comment
Before next class, please
1. Register on UTC2715/UTS2707 Slack
2. Slack convention: names, pics, mention me (or
anyone else) with @, use Slack as a draft board
3. Don’t overthink, iterate on your projects
4. Read around, ask questions & comment
5. Create your own channel (use your name to
name the channel) for all your work on the
project
Before next class, please
1. Register on UTC2715/UTS2707 Slack
2. Think about your project actively in Slack
3. Choose a date for your tutorial presentation

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HPcpKT_
QWAyVGk60Bva8KrF9oRuLwxmgazeYpyDeBr4/edit
?usp=sharing
Some Recurring Principles
1. Multiple Levels of Abstraction: from very high level to very low level
Some Recurring Principles
1. Multiple Levels of Abstraction: from very high level to very low level

2. Divide and Conquer also called “Decomposition”

Some Recurring Principles
1. Multiple Levels of Abstraction: from very high level to very low level

2. Divide and Conquer also called “Decomposition”

3. One data, multiple views: Different interfaces

Some Recurring Principles
1. Multiple Levels of Abstraction: from very high level to very low level

2. Divide and Conquer also called “Decomposition”

3. One data, multiple views: Different interfaces

4. Power of Iteration
Some Recurring Principles
1. Multiple Levels of Abstraction: from very high level to very low level

2. Divide and Conquer also called “Decomposition”

3. One data, multiple views: Different interfaces

4. Power of Iteration

5. Complexity in simplicity
 What is complexity?

https://forms.gle/dqN9UGtTrvNDYJdQ7
LIX
LIX + VII = ?
LIX x VII = ?
DCCCLXXXV?
LIX+VII
 Knowledge Restructuration

Structuration is the encoding of the knowledge in a domain

as a function of the representational infrastructure used to
express the knowledge.

Restructuration is a change from one structuration of a

domain to another resulting from such a change in
representational infrastructure.

Wilensky & Papert 2006, 2010

 XXI-Century Analogy

What is important and hard for people today?

 XXI-Century Analogy

What is important and hard for people today?

Complex Systems as Hindu-Arabic Numerals

 XXI-Century Analogy

What is important and hard for people today?

Complex Systems as Hindu-Arabic Numerals

● We need to make sense of complex systems as

we are surrounded by them;
● Similar to numeracy importance, but difficult in
understanding.
 Complex Systems

Systems with large number of parts, evolving with time

 Complex Systems

Systems with large number of parts, evolving with time

Decentralized decisions vs. centralized control

 Complex Systems

Systems with large number of parts, evolving with time

Decentralized decisions vs. centralized control

Emergent global patterns from local interactions & decisions

 Nonlinearity & Emergence

Nonlinearity describes systems in which a change in the size

of the input does not produce a proportional change in the
size of the output.

Emergent properties of a system are not apparent from its

components in isolation but which result from the
interactions, dependencies, or relationships they form when
placed together in a system.
 Nonlinearity & Emergence

Structure (rules) at micro level leads to changes on macro

level
 Nonlinearity & Emergence

Structure (rules) at micro-level leads to changes on macro

level
Decentralization: Order without design (no leader or
orchestrator of a pattern)
 Nonlinearity & Emergence

Structure (rules) at micro-level leads to changes on macro

level
Decentralization: Order without design (no leader or
orchestrator of a pattern)
Examples: ant colony, housing pattern in a city, voting
patterns, variations of a population in an ecosystem, traffic
jam, price of a share or a commodity etc.
 Nonlinearity & Emergence

Structure (rules) at micro-level leads to changes on macro

level
Decentralization: Order without design (no leader or
orchestrator of a pattern)
Examples: ant colony, housing pattern in a city, voting
patterns, variations of a population in an ecosystem, traffic
jam, price of a share or a commodity etc.
It’s very hard: if you know the micro - difficult to predict
macro and vice versa
What is modeling and what is simulation?
https://forms.gle/1oxU6fXsL8xM6gHfA
 Modeling & Simulation

Modeling refers to the development of a mathematical

representation of a physical situation. ƒ

Simulation refers to the procedure of solving the equations

that resulted from model development.
 Modeling & Simulation

“Essentially, all models are wrong, but some models are

useful.”

George Box (1987)

Modeling & Simulation
Modeling & Simulation
Modeling & Simulation
 Agent Based Modeling

Computational model for simulating the actions and interactions of autonomous

agents (both individual or collective entities such as organizations or groups) in
order to understand the behavior of a system and what governs its outcomes.
 Agent Based Modeling

Computational model for simulating the actions and interactions of autonomous

agents (both individual or collective entities such as organizations or groups) in
order to understand the behavior of a system and what governs its outcomes.

ABM encodes the behaviour of individual agents in simple rules and then observes
and analyses the product of agents’ interactions
Web or Desktop NetLogo
https://www.netlogoweb.org/
 Restructuration. Forest Fire

Equations for fire spread:

Reynold's equation & heat equation

Before next class, please
1. Register on UTC2715/UTS2707 Slack
2. Think about your project actively in Slack
3. Choose a date for your tutorial presentation
4. Reflect/write on 1-3 significant aspects that you have learnt in
this seminar
Few lines per aspect
To be done by the end of the week
Peruse the reflections of your peers, discuss these aspects in
a non-judgmental way
Reading
1. Epstein, Joshua M. "Why model?" Journal of Artificial
Societies and Social Simulation 11.4 (2008): 12.
Available in Files - Readings
http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/11/4/12.html.bak

2. Weaver, Warren. "Science and complexity." Facets of systems

science. Springer, Boston, MA, 1991. 449-456.
Available in Files - Readings
Thanks and see you this Thursday