Exploring the thermodynamic description of a simulation of flocking birds
This study presents an approach to analyzing a simulation of birds flocking as a thermodynamic system. The simulation of birds is produced using standard agent-based modeling and the thermodynamic variables for the states of the trajectory using statistical mechanics. The energy of the birds is defi...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Complex Systems |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcpxs.2024.1516812/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832544800380813312 |
|---|---|
| author | Alexander V. Mantzaris George-Rafael Domenikos |
| author_facet | Alexander V. Mantzaris George-Rafael Domenikos |
| author_sort | Alexander V. Mantzaris |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study presents an approach to analyzing a simulation of birds flocking as a thermodynamic system. The simulation of birds is produced using standard agent-based modeling and the thermodynamic variables for the states of the trajectory using statistical mechanics. The energy of the birds is defined, and from the distribution function, the entropy, internal energy, temperature, heat flux, and pressure are defined. The trajectory of the entropy decreases as the flocks increase clustering among each other, becoming denser. As a result, internal energy generally decreases (with minor oscillations), and an overall steady decrease of the cumulative heat flux is also observed. Pressure is observed to decrease as the simulation progresses with the increase of the volume. Overall, the system displays consistency with the expected trajectories of all the thermodynamics variables in a cooling process. Thus, through this thermodynamic definition, a more in-depth representation of the state space of the system is achieved. This description offers information about both the microscopic and macroscopic behaviors of the flocks and, importantly, an understanding about the exchange of energy/information between the flock and the external environment through the heat flux. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0e8d057352ab4fe6b659fbe17bc9a0e7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2813-6187 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Complex Systems |
| spelling | doaj-art-0e8d057352ab4fe6b659fbe17bc9a0e72025-02-03T09:12:18ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Complex Systems2813-61872025-02-01210.3389/fcpxs.2024.15168121516812Exploring the thermodynamic description of a simulation of flocking birdsAlexander V. Mantzaris0George-Rafael Domenikos1Department of Statistics and Data Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United StatesDepartment of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, SingaporeThis study presents an approach to analyzing a simulation of birds flocking as a thermodynamic system. The simulation of birds is produced using standard agent-based modeling and the thermodynamic variables for the states of the trajectory using statistical mechanics. The energy of the birds is defined, and from the distribution function, the entropy, internal energy, temperature, heat flux, and pressure are defined. The trajectory of the entropy decreases as the flocks increase clustering among each other, becoming denser. As a result, internal energy generally decreases (with minor oscillations), and an overall steady decrease of the cumulative heat flux is also observed. Pressure is observed to decrease as the simulation progresses with the increase of the volume. Overall, the system displays consistency with the expected trajectories of all the thermodynamics variables in a cooling process. Thus, through this thermodynamic definition, a more in-depth representation of the state space of the system is achieved. This description offers information about both the microscopic and macroscopic behaviors of the flocks and, importantly, an understanding about the exchange of energy/information between the flock and the external environment through the heat flux.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcpxs.2024.1516812/fullentropythermodynamicsthermoinformaticsflockingsocial physicsagent-based systems |
| spellingShingle | Alexander V. Mantzaris George-Rafael Domenikos Exploring the thermodynamic description of a simulation of flocking birds Frontiers in Complex Systems entropy thermodynamics thermoinformatics flocking social physics agent-based systems |
| title | Exploring the thermodynamic description of a simulation of flocking birds |
| title_full | Exploring the thermodynamic description of a simulation of flocking birds |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the thermodynamic description of a simulation of flocking birds |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the thermodynamic description of a simulation of flocking birds |
| title_short | Exploring the thermodynamic description of a simulation of flocking birds |
| title_sort | exploring the thermodynamic description of a simulation of flocking birds |
| topic | entropy thermodynamics thermoinformatics flocking social physics agent-based systems |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcpxs.2024.1516812/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alexandervmantzaris exploringthethermodynamicdescriptionofasimulationofflockingbirds AT georgerafaeldomenikos exploringthethermodynamicdescriptionofasimulationofflockingbirds |