A General Methodology for Mathematical Analysis of Multi-Agent Systems
K. Lerman and A. Galstyan
Information Sciences Institute
Univ. of Southern California
Marina del Rey, CA 90292-6695
June 12, 2001
Abstract
We propose a general mathematical methodology for studying the dynamics
of multi-
agent systems in which complex collective behavior arises out of local
interactions between
many simple agents. The mathematical model is composed of a system
of coupled dif-
ferential equations describing the macroscopic, or collective, dynamics
of an agent-based
system. We illustrate our approach by applying it to analyze several
agent-based systems,
including coalition formation in an electronic marketplace, and foraging
and collaboration
in a group of robots.
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