# Emergence Theory 4- Pattern Formation

The term pattern formation refers to the process through which a coherent set of associations between element’s states is formed and persists over some period of time, it captures the essence of self-­organization and emergence in all kinds of systems. A primary question we are interested in when studying any pattern is the question of how was it generated or formed? In answering this question, we can make a fundamental distinction between those patterns that were created through order being imposed by some other external organization, or those that were created through the pattern being internally generated.

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- Kind: Short
- Year: 2016
- Runtime: 12 min
- By: Complexity Academy
- Genres: Science
- Archive: [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emergence_Theory_4-_Pattern_Formation.webm)
- Licence or status: [CC BY 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Complexity Academy
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/commons/57999634?play=1)