Re: Boltzmann equaton for swarming insects.

Ed Green wrote:

Let's look at the points of simularity. Both insects and molecules
occur in large collections of identical (nearly identical in the case
of insects) particles, for which some statistical method might appear
fruitful. Insects are however more complicated than molecules, and
show more varied behavior. Therefore the statisical mechanics of
insects would be more complicated.

"Swarming" itself doesn't require too much additional complication in a
molecular analogue: think surface tension.

The particles don't actually collide but in close approaches take
swerves to avoid each other. Each swerve is random with respect to any
other by the same or other particle (for insects the decision making is
very local).

Sounds like Coulomb collisions to me... the main difference in
properties would be if the insects try to resume their original flight
direction after a swerve, whereas electrons and ions keep to their new
ones.

However, a cloud of insects does not diffuse like a cloud of particles
(and there is no long range field effect, which is important to
particles if they are charged). Modelling this would require an
additional "field potential" effect present only on scales comparable to
that of the cloud (i.e., no small scale plasma instabilities, but a
generally confining effect). Obviously, for insects this is provided by
their behaviour patterns.

--
ciao,
Bruce

drift wave turbulence: http://www.rzg.mpg.de/~bds/

.

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