1. A diagnostic/prognostic system for a physical system comprising: a plurality of sensors that are configured to repeatedly monitor variables of the physical system during operation; an associative memory; and a novelty detection system that is responsive to the plurality of sensors and that is configured to repeatedly observe into the associative memory, states of associations among the variables that are repeatedly monitored during a learning phase and that is further configured to thereafter imagine at least one state of associations among the variables that are monitored relative to the states of associations that are observed in the associative memory, to identify a novel state of associations among the variables.