# Nonlinear Systems- 4 Synergies & Interference

In this section we introduce the key sources of nonlinearity as the type of relations between components within a system where these relations add or subtract some value to the overall system. We will talk about synergies that represent a positive interaction between components resulting in the system being more than the simple sum of its parts. Next we also discuss interference which works in the inverse direction to synergies making the system less than the sum of its part.

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Transcription excerpt:

As we have previously discussed the nature of the interactions between components within a system is a key source of nonlinearity, in this short module we are going to give a quick overview to the two fundamentally different types of relations that result in non-additive combinations, what we call synergies and interference. Starting with synergies, the term synergy comes from a Greek word that mean "working together". A synergy is a positive interaction between two elements derived from some synchronization between their states. As an example we could site the division of labor within many insect and human communities, such as ant colonies and market economies where synergistic relations create a net result that is greater than the product of the individual elements actions in isolation. Very simple ants can through the division of their labor and collaboration create ant colonies that…

- Kind: Short
- Year: 2015
- Runtime: 5 min
- By: Complexity Academy
- Genres: Science
- Archive: [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nonlinear_Systems-_4_Synergies_%26_Interference.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/58002294?play=1)