Subject: Feedback Loops

Posted by Philip Abode on 2/17/2006

Message:

I want to express my profound appreciation for the discussion on feedback loop. I tended to apply physical principles to the understanding of change (I learned this in biology), like the theory of diffusion and the movement of ions across cell membranes. Then we learned about the sodium pump, often considered an active pump because ions move against their concentration gradient. That is, sodium ions actually move from area of low concentration to area of high concentration. This not only violates the basic principles of diffusion but I think it also violates the logic of system dynamics. Does it not?

Philip Abode