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Understanding Complex Systems

A system is composed of interconnected parts that function together as a whole. Key concepts of systems include how they are connected to the environment, how matter and energy flow within the system, and whether a system is static or dynamic. Systems can be open, allowing transfers of matter/energy with the environment, or closed, with no such transfers. Feedback within a system can be negative, stabilizing fluctuations, or positive, amplifying them in potential vicious cycles. System responses may be linear or nonlinear, with nonlinear responses potentially involving lags, overshoot and collapse, or irreversible consequences.

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KANEGO MOHLAMONYANE
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9 views13 pages

Understanding Complex Systems

A system is composed of interconnected parts that function together as a whole. Key concepts of systems include how they are connected to the environment, how matter and energy flow within the system, and whether a system is static or dynamic. Systems can be open, allowing transfers of matter/energy with the environment, or closed, with no such transfers. Feedback within a system can be negative, stabilizing fluctuations, or positive, amplifying them in potential vicious cycles. System responses may be linear or nonlinear, with nonlinear responses potentially involving lags, overshoot and collapse, or irreversible consequences.

Uploaded by

KANEGO MOHLAMONYANE
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Complex Systems

Basic Concepts

 System: a set of components, or parts,


that function together as a whole
 e.g. Human body, car engine
etc.
 Key concepts:
 How a system is connected to
the rest of the environment
 How matter and energy flow
between parts of the system
 Whether a system is static or
dynamic
 Feedback within a system
 System responses
Connection with
the environment
 Open system
 Some material/energy flows
into/out of the system
 i.e. it can receive energy or
matter from the outside and
lose energy/matter to the
outside
 e.g. the ocean is an open
system with regard to water.
Water can flow into the
system from rivers and can
leave the system through
evaporation
Connection with
the environment
 Closed system
 In a closed system no
transfer of material/energy
takes place
 Earth is a materially closed
system since for all practical
purposes no matter comes in
from the outside, though
energy does (sunlight)
Static vs.
Dynamic
 Static system
 Has a fixed condition and tends
to remain in that fixed condition
 Dynamic system
 Changes over a period of time
 Classical stability
 Refers to a static system that
returns to its initial stable state
once a disturbance has been
removed
 Classic interpretation of natural
systems are that they are stable static
systems
 Modern interpretation are that they
represent dynamic systems that are
changing and that requires change
Simple open systems
Steady-State
The inputs equal the outputs and
the storage within the system does
not change
e.g. Planting a tree for each one
Input Storage Output harvested

Non-Steady-State
The inputs are less than the
outputs and the storage within the
system decreases
e.g. the extraction of fossil fuels Input Storage Output

Non-Steady-State
The inputs are more than the
outputs and the storage within the
system increases
e.g. the input of toxins within a
Input Storage Output reservoir
Storage

Comp. 1 Comp. 2

Comp. 4 Comp. 3

It is important to remember that a system can consist of a variety of


compartments, each with its own inputs and outputs (the output of one
compartment becoming the input of another)
Feedback

 Occurs when the output of a system (or a


compartment within a system) affects the input
of the system

 Negative feedback
 An increase in output now leads to a
decrease in output later
 Stabilizing effect
 Required for steady-state systems to
remain in a constant condition

 Positive feedback
 An increase in output now leads to an
increase in output later
 Destabilizing effect
 “Vicious cycles”
Feedback
System
responses
 Linear and non-linear processes
 Linear
 When adding something
to the system the change
in output always the same
no matter how much was
added to the system
before
 Non-linear
 When adding something
to the system the output is
dependant on how much
was added before
System
responses
 Lag time
 The delay between the
cause and the appearance
of an effect
 Many environmental inputs
(such as pollution) have non-
linear responses and may
involve delays.
System responses

 Overshoot and collapse


System
responses
 Irreversible consequences
 Consequences that may not
be easily rectified on a
human time scale (decades
or even a few hundred
years)
 e.g. soil erosion
 Soil can erode easily within
a period of years
 HOWEVER, it can take
thousands of years for new
soil to form in an area

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