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GLOSSARY INQUIRY: SCALE INDEPENDENCE
The level of detail and complexity of a form do not vary greatly when viewed from different levels of magnification.
Fractal forms demonstrate the quality of scale independence. Whether viewed up close (magnified) or from far away, they exhibit similar patterns and details. Complex systems also demonstrate this quality, since they are typically both nested within larger scale complex systems and themselves composed of smaller scale complex systems.
The implication of scale independence for education is that one is dealing with the same degree of detail and complexity, whether one is examining an individual human being, classroom collective, school, or community. One cannot simplify one’s examination by reducing or increasing the scale.
See related terms: Nestedness, Complex System, Self-Similarity.
