Driven and dissipative systems far from thermodynamic equilibrium show a rich variety of patterns, such as the distribution of earthquakes and the patchwork of tree clusters in a forest. Sustained by a permanent input of energy, these phenomena do not follow the same energy minimization principle that organizes systems in equilibrium. Instead, driven and dissipative systems appear to spontaneously develop order through self-organized criticality—a balancing act between energy loss and energy gain.
