strengthdepends

Strengthdepends is a term used in theoretical discussions of systems where overall strength emerges from interdependencies among components. It is not a widely standardized concept, but rather a descriptive label for models in which how strong an element is depends on how strongly it is connected to or reinforced by others.

In a typical formulation, the effective strength S of a system is a function of local strengths s_i and dependency weights d_i that measure the influence of other elements on i. A general expression is S = F(s1,...,sn; d1,...,dn). The function F can be additive, multiplicative, or nonlinear, and may include thresholds, saturation, or feedback loops. The weights d_i capture directional or symmetric dependencies and can vary with context.

Applications include materials science (modeling how microstructure bonding networks affect bulk strength), social and information networks (propagation of influence or resilience), software engineering (reliability depending on dependency strength), and ecological or infrastructural networks (interdependence of components under stress). A simple example is S = sum_i d_i s_i, or S = product_i (1 + d_i s_i) - 1, illustrating linear versus multiplicative coupling.

Because strengthdepends is not a single formal theory, usage varies by field and authors may define d_i and F differently. It remains a descriptive, rather than a prescriptive, concept and is sometimes used to critique models that overlook interdependencies.