Deterministic or stochastic?
These systems can be deterministic (when they behave in a way that can be clearly described with predefined signals and their effects and/or logical connections) or stochastic (when their behaviour is not fully predictable due to random events). Most systems exhibit both types of behaviour. The two concepts are often confused, in particular in economic or meteorological analyses, as shown in the following figure. In other cases the ease of modelling or calculation suggest a deterministic or stochastic approach. This was Shannon’s idea as well when doing a calculation explaining many forms of behaviour in the method of quantifying information and in using the concept of entropy.