System

A System is a composite entity with interacting components that form a unified whole through systematic organization.

• AKA: Systematic Entity, Organized Whole, Component Assembly.
• Context:
  • System Input: Material Input, Energy Input, Information Input
    • Optional Input: Control Signal, Configuration Parameter, Environmental Stimulus
  • System Output: Material Output, Energy Output, Information Output
  • System Performance Measure: Performance Metrics such as system efficiency, system effectiveness, and system reliability
  • ...
  • It can typically maintain its System Boundary through system component interactions that separate internal elements from the system environment.
  • It can typically process system inputs into system outputs through system transformation processes.
  • It can typically undergo System Development through system maturation stages and system capability expansion.
  • It can typically exchange System Resources with its system environment when functioning as an open system.
  • It can typically preserve its System Identity despite system component changes as long as its system organizational pattern remains recognizable.
  • It can typically exhibit System State as a system condition snapshot at a specific time point.
  • It can typically display System Behavior through system state changes over time periods in response to system inputs.
  • ...
  • It can often maintain multiple System States during its system operational period.
  • It can often undergo System Evolution through system adaptation mechanisms in response to system environmental changes.
  • It can often possess System Redundancy as protection against system component failure.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Physical System to being an Abstract System, depending on its system materiality.
  • It can range from being a Closed System to being an Open System, depending on its system boundary permeability.
  • It can range from being a Simple System to being a Complex System, depending on its system component interaction complexity.
  • It can range from being a Fixed System to being a Dynamic System, depending on its system state variability.
  • It can range from being an Evolved System to being a Designed System, depending on its system origin type.
  • It can range from being a Healthy System to being a Failed System, depending on its system operational status.
  • It can range from being a Brittle System to being a Resilient System, depending on its system adaptation capability.
  • It can range from being a Dependent System to being an Independent System, depending on its system autonomy level.
  • It can range from being a Controlled System to being a Self-Governing System, depending on its system decision capability.
  • It can range from being a Hierarchical System to being a Flat System, depending on its system organizational structure.
  • It can range from being a Deterministic System to being a Stochastic System, depending on its system behavior predictability.
  • ...
  • It can be represented by a System Architecture that describes its system structural arrangement and system component relationships.
  • It can be studied through System Models that simplify its system complexity for system analysis purposes.
  • It can undergo System Change through system internal transformation or system external influence.
  • It can experience System Breakdown due to system component failure or system interaction disruption.
  • It can achieve various System Performance Levels based on its system capability measures.
  • It can exhibit System Emergence when system collective behaviors produce properties not predictable from system components alone.
  • It can implement System Control through system regulation mechanisms that maintain system desired states.
  • It can display System Resilience through system recovery capability after system disturbances.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Natural Systems, such as:
    • Astronomical Systems, such as:
      • Solar System, demonstrating system gravitational interactions between celestial bodies.
      • Planetary System, exhibiting system orbital dynamics and system atmospheric processes.
      • Stellar System, showing system nuclear fusion and system radiation emission.
    • Geological Systems, such as:
      • Tectonic Plate System, illustrating system crustal movements and system geological formations.
      • River Basin System, displaying system water cycle dynamics and system erosion patterns.
      • Mountain Range System, showing system geological uplift and system weathering processes.
    • Thermodynamic Systems, such as:
      • Climate System, regulating system energy distribution across system atmospheric layers.
      • Ocean Current System, circulating system thermal energy through system convection patterns.
      • Weather System, generating system atmospheric conditions through system pressure gradients.
  • Biological Systems, such as:
    • Ecosystems, such as:
      • Rainforest Ecosystem, showing system species interactions and system nutrient cycling.
      • Coral Reef Ecosystem, maintaining system biodiversity through system symbiotic relationships.
      • Prairie Ecosystem, demonstrating system fire adaptation and system grazing resilience.
    • Organismal Systems, such as:
      • Human Body System, exhibiting system integrated functions of multiple system organ systems.
      • Plant System, performing system photosynthesis and system nutrient transport.
      • Insect Colony System, organizing system collective behavior through system specialized roles.
    • Microbiome Systems, such as:
      • Soil Microbiome System, supporting system nutrient cycling and system plant growth.
      • Gut Microbiome System, facilitating system digestion processes and system immune functions.
      • Marine Microbiome System, driving system oceanic nutrient cycles and system carbon sequestration.
  • Social Systems, such as:
    • Economic Systems, such as:
      • Global Financial System, coordinating system economic activity across system markets.
      • Market Economy System, allocating system resources through system price mechanisms.
      • Barter System, exchanging system goods and system services without system currency.
    • Political Systems, such as:
      • Democratic Governance System, implementing system decision-making through system voting processes.
      • Federalist System, distributing system governmental power across system jurisdiction levels.
      • International Relations System, managing system state interactions through system diplomatic protocols.
    • Educational Systems, such as:
      • University System, providing system higher education through system structured curriculums.
      • Public School System, delivering system standardized education to system student populations.
      • Corporate Training System, developing system employee skills through system professional development.
  • Designed Systems, such as:
    • Technological Systems, such as:
      • Internet Infrastructure System, enabling system global communication through system network protocols.
      • Computing System, performing system information processing and system data manipulation.
      • Autonomous Vehicle System, combining system sensors, system processors, and system control mechanisms.
    • Organizational Systems, such as:
      • Corporate Management System, coordinating system business operations and system resource allocation.
      • Healthcare Delivery System, providing system medical services through system integrated care.
      • Supply Chain System, managing system product flows and system logistics operations.
    • Infrastructure Systems, such as:
      • Transportation System, moving system people and system goods through system coordinated networks.
      • Electrical Grid System, distributing system power from system generation sources to system end users.
      • Water Management System, controlling system water flow for system human consumption and system waste removal.
  • Abstract Systems, such as:
    • Conceptual Systems, such as:
      • Mathematical Logic System, providing system formal reasoning framework.
      • Philosophical System, organizing system beliefs into system coherent worldviews.
      • Theoretical Physics System, modeling system natural phenomenon through system mathematical formalism.
    • Regulatory Systems, such as:
      • Legal System, establishing system rules and system enforcement mechanisms.
      • Standard System, defining system specifications for system interoperability.
      • Ethical System, guiding system behavior through system moral principles.
    • Classification Systems, such as:
      • Biological Taxonomy System, organizing system living organisms by system evolutionary relationships.
      • Library Classification System, arranging system information resources through system categorical structures.
      • Chemical Element System, organizing system elements by system atomic propertys.
  • Hybrid Systems, such as:
    • Socio-Technical Systems, such as:
      • Smart City System, integrating system digital infrastructure with system urban environments.
      • Energy Grid System, combining system physical infrastructure with system control software.
      • Healthcare Information System, merging system medical practices with system information technology.
    • Bio-Technological Systems, such as:
      • Agricultural Ecosystem, blending system natural processes with system human intervention.
      • Bioremediation System, using system biological agents for system environmental cleanup.
      • Synthetic Biology System, engineering system biological components for system designed functions.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Random Collections, which lack system component interactions and system unified purpose necessary to form a system.
  • Single Elements, which lack the necessary system multiple components to constitute a system.
  • Isolated Components, which may have internal complexity but lack system interactions with other components.
  • Transient Aggregations, which lack the system persistent relationships and system boundary definition of true systems.
  • Chaotic Processes, which exhibit unpredictability but lack the system organized structure and system purposeful function of systems.
• See: System Theory, System Property, System Boundary, System Component, System Process, System Structure, System Dynamics, Systems Engineering, Systems Analysis, Complex System, Emergence, Feedback, Homeostasis, Entropy.

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References

2025-05-10

• Deep Research https://chatgpt.com/share/68201654-d6fc-8012-8f3a-bd00bd93dc8f
  • Question: What is a system and what are its key characteristics, classifications, and performance measures?
  • Answer: A System is a composite entity with interacting components that form a unified whole through systematic organization. Systems exist across multiple domains including engineering, biology, sociology, and computer science, all sharing the fundamental property of having components arranged to function cohesively with emergent properties beyond the individual parts.
    • Key Concepts:
      • Component: A component is a discrete element or part that interacts with other components to form the system. Components can range from physical parts in a mechanical system to abstract elements in a conceptual system.
      • Boundary: The boundary is a conceptual or physical delineation separating the system from its environment. It defines what is considered part of the system and what is external. Boundaries can be physical (like a cell membrane) or conceptual (like a company's legal entity).
      • Organization: The specific arrangement and relationships between components that creates the structure of the system. Organization determines how components interact and how the system functions as a whole.
      • Unified Whole: The complete entity that emerges from the interaction of all components, possessing properties and behaviors that cannot be reduced to the sum of individual parts.
    • System Inputs and Outputs:
      • Input: What the system receives from its environment, including material, energy, or information. Inputs are transformed by the system into outputs.
      • Output: What the system produces and returns to the environment, including material, energy, information, or services. The relation between inputs and outputs defines the purpose of the system.
      • Feedback: The process where outputs (or their effects) are routed back as new inputs, allowing the system to adjust its behavior or performance. Feedback is essential for self-regulation and adaptation.
    • System Performance Measures:
      • Efficiency: The ratio of useful output to total input, measuring how well a system uses resources. A highly efficient system achieves results with minimal waste of energy, time, or materials.
      • Effectiveness: How well a system achieves its intended goals or outcomes. An effective system produces the desired result - it does the right thing, regardless of resource usage.
      • Reliability: The consistency or dependability of a system's performance over time, often quantified as the probability of correct operation for a specific duration without failure.
    • System Characteristics:
      • Identity: The distinct nature of a system that persists over time despite changes in its components. Identity is maintained by the pattern of organization rather than specific parts.
      • State: A snapshot of a system's condition at a given time, described by a set of variables or properties that encapsulate all information needed to describe the system's situation.
      • Behavior: How a system's state evolves over time and how it reacts to inputs. Behavior is the dynamic aspect of the system determined by component interactions.
      • Lifecycle: The stages a system goes through from creation to termination, including birth, development, operation, and possible death or dissolution.
    • System Classifications:
      • Physical vs. Abstract: A physical system has tangible, material components in the real world, while an abstract system is conceptual or symbolic, composed of ideas or information.
      • Closed vs. Open: A closed system does not exchange matter (and sometimes energy or information) with its environment, while an open system freely exchanges with its environment.
      • Simple vs. Complex: A simple system has few components with straightforward interactions, while a complex system has many components with intricate, non-linear interactions leading to emergent behaviors.
      • Fixed vs. Dynamic: A fixed system has an unchanging configuration, while a dynamic system can change its structure or behavior rules in response to conditions.
      • Evolved vs. Designed: An evolved system emerged through natural processes without an external designer, while a designed system was deliberately created according to a plan.
      • Healthy vs. Failed: A healthy system functions as intended, maintaining integrity and performance, while a failed system has broken down or no longer fulfills its purpose.
      • Brittle vs. Resilient: A brittle system cannot absorb disturbances and fails catastrophically when pushed beyond limits, while a resilient system can withstand shocks and adapt to changes.
      • Dependent vs. Independent: A dependent system relies on external systems to function, while an independent system can operate more self-sufficiently.
      • Controlled vs. Self-Governing: A controlled system is directed by an external authority, while a self-governing system regulates itself through internal mechanisms.
      • Hierarchical vs. Flat: A hierarchical system is organized in layers with chains of command, while a flat system has components on equal footing without layered structure.
      • Deterministic vs. Stochastic: A deterministic system produces the same output given the same input and state, while a stochastic system incorporates randomness, with outcomes predictable only in terms of probabilities.
    • Domain Applications:
      • Engineering Systems: In engineering, a system is defined as "a combination of interacting elements organized to achieve one or more stated purposes." Examples include mechanical systems like cars, electronic systems, and infrastructure systems.
      • Biological Systems: In biology, systems range from organ systems (groups of organs working together for specific functions) to ecosystems (living organisms and their environment interacting as a unit).
      • Social Systems: In sociology, a social system is a coherent set of relationships among people or groups, such as communities, organizations, economies, and family units.
      • Computing Systems: In computer science, computing systems include information systems, computer networks, and software systems - all integrated sets of hardware, software, and network components.
  • Citations:

[1] Maier, M. W., & Rechtin, E. The Art of Systems Architecting. CRC Press.
[2] ISO/IEC 15288 - Systems engineering standard.
[3] Open University - System Boundaries explanation.
[4] BMC Blogs - Definition of system reliability.
[5] NASA Systems Engineering Handbook.

2024

• (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System Retrieved:2024-9-15.
  • A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment, is described by its boundaries, structure and purpose and is expressed in its functioning. Systems are the subjects of study of systems theory and other systems sciences.

    Systems have several common properties and characteristics, including structure, function(s), behavior and interconnectivity.

2014

• (Wikipedia, 2014) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/system Retrieved:2014-6-12.
  • A system is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole or a set of elements (often called 'components' ) and relationships which are different from relationships of the set or its elements to other elements or sets. Every system is delineated by its spatial and temporal boundaries, surrounded and influenced by its environment, described by its structure and purpose and expressed in its functioning.

    Fields that study the general properties of systems include systems science, systems theory, systems engineering, cybernetics, dynamical systems, thermodynamics, complex systems and system analysis and design. They investigate the abstract properties of systems' matter and organization, looking for concepts and principles that are independent of domain, substance, type, or temporal scale. Some systems share common characteristics, including:* A system has structure, it contains parts (or components) that are directly or indirectly related to each other;

    • A system has behavior, it exhibits processes that fulfill its function or purpose;
    • A system has interconnectivity: the parts and processes are connected by structural and/or behavioral relationships.
    • A system's structure and behavior may be decomposed via subsystems and sub-processes to elementary parts and process steps.
    • A system has behavior that, in relativity to its surroundings, may be categorized as both fast and strong
  • The term system may also refer to a set of rules that governs structure and/or behavior. Alternatively, and usually in the context of complex social systems, the term institution is used to describe the set of rules that govern structure and/or behavior.

2013

• http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/system#Noun
  • A whole composed of relationships among the members.

2009

• WordNet.
  • instrumentality that combines interrelated interacting artifacts designed to work as a coherent entity; "he bought a new stereo system"; "the ...
  • a group of independent but interrelated elements comprising a unified whole; "a vast system of production and distribution and consumption keep the country going"
  • (physical chemistry) a sample of matter in which substances in different phases are in equilibrium; "in a static system oil cannot be replaced by water on a surface"; "a system generating hydrogen peroxide"
  • a complex of methods or rules governing behavior; "they have to operate under a system they oppose"; "that language has a complex system for indicating gender"
  • arrangement: an organized structure for arranging or classifying; "he changed the arrangement of the topics"; "the facts were familiar but it was in the organization of them that he was original"; "he tried to understand their system of classification"
  • a group of physiologically or anatomically related organs or parts; "the body has a system of organs for digestion"
  • a procedure or process for obtaining an objective; "they had to devise a system that did not depend on cooperation"
  • the living body considered as made up of interdependent components forming a unified whole; "exercise helped him get the alcohol out of his system"
  • organization: an ordered manner; orderliness by virtue of being methodical and well organized; "his compulsive organization was not an endearing quality"; "we can't do it unless we establish some system around here"

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