The individual growth Model published by von Bertanlanffy in 1934 is widely used in biological models and exists in a number of permutations. A more general version was proposed by F. J. Richards in 1959 . The growth model is a differential equation in the tradition of earlier Demographic models, also used to model Surplus Production (biomasses rather than number of individuals or length of individuals).
In its simplest version the so-called von Bertalanffy growth equation is expressed as a differential equation of length (L) over time (t):
when k is the individual growth rate and the maximum individual length.
- Bertalanffy, L. von, (1934).Untersuchungen über die Gesetzlichkeit des Wachstums. I. Allgemeine Grundlagen der Theorie; mathematische und physiologische Gesetzlichkeiten des Wachstums bei Wassertieren. Arch. Entwicklungsmech., 131:613-652.
Bertanlanffy authored some 10 books
- 1928, ''Kritische theorie der Formbildung'', Borntraeger. In English: ''Modern Theory of Development'', Harper New York, 1932
- 1937, ''Das Gefüge des Lebens'', Leipzig.
- 1940, ''Vom Molekül zur Organismenwelt'', Potsdam.
- 1949, ''Das biologische Weltbild'', Europeische Rundschau, Bern. In English: ''Problems of Life'', New York, 1952.
- 1953, ''Biophysik des Fliessgleichgewichts'', Braunschweig ism W. Beier & R. Laue.
- 1967, ''Robots, Men and Minds'', New York
- 1968, ''General System theory: Foundations, Development, Applications'', Ludwig von Bertalanffy, George Braziller New York.
- 1968, ''The Organismic Psychology and Systems Theory'', Worcester
- 1975, ''Perspectives on General Systems Theory. Scientific-Philosophical Studies'', E. Taschdjian (eds.), George Braziller New York.
- 1981, ''A Systems View of Men'', P. A. LaViolette, Boulder.
The first from Bertalanffy on General Systems Theory :
- 1945, ''Zu einer allgemeinen Systemlehre,'' Blätter für deutsche Philosophie, 3/4. (Extract in: Biologia Generalis, 19 (1949), 139-164.
- 1950, ''An Outline of General System Theory'', Britisch Journal of Philosophie of Science 1, p.139-164
- 1951, ''General system theory - A new approach to unity of science'' (Symposium), Human Biology, Dec 1951, Vol. 23, p. 303-361.
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