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How is it that so many people within a marital art system seem to believe things that are contrary to science, reason, logic, and common sense, such as knocking out a person without even touching the person? Is it that idiots unconsciously recognize each other and tend to herd together without realizing it? Or, is there another reason?

As a school of fish glides through the water, its movements are precise and synchronous. None of the fish dart ahead, lag behind, or drop off to the side. When the school turns, there is no confusion, no collisions, just perfect coordination. Insects, birds, wildebeests, etc. may also be seen moving in the same manner. Why are animals so good at mov­ing together?

It is the group, not the leader

A flock of birds seems to be controlled by the bird in front, which apparently makes quick decisions and causes the flock to act as a unit. However, the truth is that animals move so well together because each individual is making simple decisions based on simple interactions with the group.

In 2005, biologist lain Couzin of Princeton University studied group dynamics using a series of formulas and computer simulations to find out how many informed individuals it would take to alter the direction of a group's movement. Simulation rules required individuals in the model to maintain a minimum distance between themselves and those around them, and some were provided with information about the preferred direction of the group. Couzin discovered that in the computer simulation, it takes only 5 percent of informed individuals to steer the direction of a group, and that percentage decreases as a group gets larger.

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