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Control theory: Mother nature is an engineer

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Geekz Snow
Control theory: Mother nature is an engineer

In the last 150 years, engineers have developed and mastered ways to stabilize dynamic systems, without lag or overshoot, using what's known as control theory.

Now, a team of University of Arizona researchers has shown that cells and organisms evolved complex biochemical circuits that follow the principles of control theory, millions of years before the first engineer put pencil to paper.

Consider your home air conditioner, for example.

Your air conditioner then blasts cold air into your home until the thermostat reaches 72.

This is an analog for what's called feedforward control - your thermostat sets a goal, gets as close to 72 degrees as fast as it can, and turns off when it meets the goal.

This is an analog for a feedback control, where small fluctuations away from the set temperature feedback onto the controller and cause the system to adjust.

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Geekz Snow
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