Chapter 5 - The Nature of Systems Flashcards
Self-regulating systems
Two key properties, open and negative feedback, interaction between parts often form loops, never achieve perfectly steady state
Open system
Exchanges energy and/or materials with environment
Negative feedback
Information used to maintain more or less stable condition oscillating about an average
Positive feedback
Uses info about change to increase that change
Flexibility
Ability to adapt to changing circumstances, always range of conditions in which system can operate successfully (if outside of range it will fail)
Wholes
systems made of many parts
Purpose
Implied by self-regulation
Autonomy
ability to set own goals or repair itself
Chaos
We can never have good enough data or fast enough computers to predict what chaotic systems will do for more than a short time ahead
Though unpredictable, there are similarities which suggest underlying laws yet to be fully understood, and may be possible to monitor or control by making tiny adjustments
Butterfly effect
Small anomalies can create huge impact
Linear
Systems whose effects are always proportional to their causes
Non-linear
Systems whose effects aren’t proportional to causes, behavior of whole can’t be predicted from parts
Self-organization
Another key property of many systems, create order out of disorder, must be open; increases entropy and disorder elsewhere; non-linear, must include - & + feedback
Equilibrium
State of uniform balance with surroundings
Non-equilibrium
Systems pushed away from equilibrium by energy flowing in from environment
Conduction
Process by which heat/electricity is directly transmitted through substance when there is a diff of temp or electrical potential between adjoining material, without movement of material
Convection
movement caused within fluid by tendency of hotter/less dense material to rise, and colder/denser material to sink under influence of gravity; results in transfer of heat
Second law of thermodynamics
States that universe is running down and order/structure is temporary, decaying into disorder; decrease of entropy within system and increase in environment
Entropy
deterioration of system or society
