Resource Letter SOP-1: Self-Organizing Physics

This Resource Letter introduces the reader to an area of physics where systems can self-organize to a particular shape or behavior that, while dynamically changing, is surprisingly robust. The self-organization is due to the complex interactions that typically preclude explanation from just the forces among adjacent molecules or objects. How one recognizes such systems and explains their behavior is the topic of this Resource Letter. Some systems exhibit universal behavior that is well documented and understood, but other systems are just now being investigated.