Editing Le Chatelier's principle (section)

==Related system concepts==
It is common to treat the principle as a more general observation of [[system]]s,<ref name="Systemantics">{{cite book |last=Gall |first=John |title=The Systems Bible |publisher=General Systemantics Press |year=2002 |isbn=9780961825171 |edition=3rd |location=Walker, Minn. |quote=The System always kicks back. |author-link=John Gall (author)}}</ref> such as

{{quote|"When a settled system is disturbed, it will adjust to diminish the change that has been made to it."|author=|title=|source=}}

or, "roughly stated":<ref name="Systemantics"/>

{{quote|Any change in [[status quo]] prompts an opposing reaction in the responding system.}}

The concept of systemic maintenance of a stable steady state despite perturbations has a variety of names, and has been studied in a variety of contexts, chiefly in the [[natural science]]s. In chemistry, the principle is used to manipulate the outcomes of [[reversible reaction]]s, often to increase their [[Yield (chemistry)|yield]]. In [[pharmacology]], the binding of [[Ligand (biochemistry)|ligands]] to receptors may shift the equilibrium according to Le Chatelier's principle, thereby explaining the diverse phenomena of receptor activation and desensitization.<ref name="Bio-balance">{{cite web|url=http://www.bio-balance.com/Graphics.htm|title=The Biophysical Basis for the Graphical Representations|access-date=2009-05-04|archive-date=2009-01-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090123053804/http://www.bio-balance.com/Graphics.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> In [[biology]], the concept of [[homeostasis]] is different from Le Chatelier's principle, in that homoeostasis is generally maintained by processes of active character, as distinct from the passive or dissipative character of the processes described by Le Chatelier's principle in thermodynamics. In [[economics]], even further from thermodynamics, allusion to the principle is sometimes regarded as helping explain the [[Economic equilibrium|price equilibrium]] of efficient economic systems. In [[Dynamical systems theory#Chaos theory|some dynamic systems]], the end-state cannot be determined from the shock or perturbation.