Dissipative structures are highly ordered, stable
systems operating far from
equilibrium. They are characterized by the appearance of stability, but are continually changing. A simple example is a
whirlpool[?]. While a similar shape is maintained water is continually moving through. More complex examples include
lasers,
Bénard cells[?], and even
life itself. The term
dissipative structures was coined by
Ilya Prigogine.