A bifurcation point appears as a point of temporary instability displayed by [[Dissipative Structures]] when the structure attains a critical level of energy. The system may choose different paths, allowing for some degree of indeterminacy in a system that is characterized deterministically. Think of bifurcation points as being achieved in a similar way as when a flow of water acquires enough energy to become turbulent; a state which then allows a system to "choose" which fork in the road it would like to take. Such forks in the road are decided by the past history of the system in combination with the state of the environment. ![[bifurcs.gif]] --- #Systems #Complexity *May 29, 2021* #2021/5