On the Expected Performance of Systems with Complex Interactions Among Components

A class of combinatorial optimization models is presented for studying certain systems that arise in biology, physics, business, and elsewhere. These systems consist of a finite number of parts. For each part, it is necessary to choose one of several interchangeable components so as to maximize a performance measure of the resulting system that depends on how the chosen parts interact with each other. Probabilistic analysis and computer simulations provide insight into some factors that affect the expected performance of such systems. These models provide the ability to control the interactions among the components and to study the effect of replacing a single component in the system.