Percolation Theory

Those of us old enough, know that a percolator is coffeemaker. Percolation happens when water runs through a solid. A "perc test" measures the speed with which water moves through soil. It used to be in Wisconsin, a building lot could not be built on unless it passed a "perc test." I talked to a guy back in the early 1980s who had invented an computer-based perc tester. Seems like old hat now, but it was pretty edgy for the times. I don't think he ever went anywhere with it, at least I never heard anything. Maybe he patented it and sold the rights to a company and made a lot of money.

From Wikipedia, the free, on-line, encylopedia, we get this for percolation:

In physics, chemistry and materials science, percolation concerns also the movement and filtering of fluids through porous materials. Examples include the movement of solvents through filter paper (chromatography) and the movement of petroleum through fractured rock. Electrical analogs include the flow of electricity through random resistor networks. During the last three decades, percolation theory...has brought new understanding and techniques to a broad range of topics in physics, materials science as well as geography.

Entrepreneurs have to be concerned with the dissemination of their innovations by customers. In other words, inventions have to "percolate" through dense networks. A "perc test" can show how fast an innovation will spread, so percolation theory might be a useful thing from which entrepreneurs can take important concepts.

If you're interested in percolation, read the entire Wikipedia article and follow its links and references. If you're grabbed by this, post a comment.

Entrepreneurship informs all my professional activities. For entrepreneurial real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog and for entrepreneurial writing, go to www.kearneymusicschool.blogspot.com