Geoffrey West

Scale

1. IDEA 1

   Simple laws govern size

   West, a physicist, argues that living things, cities and companies follow surprisingly simple mathematical rules as they grow. These scaling laws reveal hidden unity across very different systems. Size changes how things work in predictable ways.

2. IDEA 2

   Bigger animals use energy efficiently

   West describes Kleiber's law, which shows that an animal's energy use rises more slowly than its size. An elephant needs far less energy per kilogram than a mouse. Bigger bodies, in this view, save energy per unit of weight.

3. IDEA 3

   Networks explain the pattern

   West argues that scaling laws come from the branching networks inside organisms, such as blood vessels. These networks deliver resources efficiently. A single plan of branching tubes works for many animals, from the smallest to the largest.

All 8 ideas from Scale →