Basics of a System Flashcards
A System
A network of interdependent components and processes
Materials and energy flowing from one component to another
State Variables
aka compartments or stocks
part of a system that stores resources (e.g. matter, energy)
Flow
aka pathways
how resources move from one compartment to another
throughput: flow of resources into, through, and out of a system.
Open system
Receive inputs from the surroundings; produce outputs that leave the system
Closed system
no exchange of matter or energy with the surroundings whatsoever
Equilibrium
Ideally, systems achieve stable balance over time
Thresholds
Systems can also change suddenly due to “tipping points” where rapid change can happen passed certain limits
Feedback Loops
systems function in cycles
each component feeding back to influence itself
Types of feedback
1. positive
2. negative
Positive Feedback
Increase a process or a component
Negative Feedback
Diminishes a process or a component
Dynamic Equilibrium
Specific numbers of resources or energy vary but the overall trend is stable
Variation around a stable average
Disturbances
Events or activities that interrupt normal feedback loops
Resilient systems return to previous state after distrubance
can lead a system to shift to a new state and become permanently altered
Principle of Emergent Properties
When components of varying properties come together to form a system, a new property emerges which was not present in the previous components
