Systems

 and  Models  
—  What  is  a  System?  

—  Why  do  we  use  Systems?  

—  Useful  for  understanding  and  explaining  phenomena's  
Systems  and  Models  
—  What  is  a  Model?  
—  Why  do  we  use  Models?  
—  How  do  you  evaluate  Models?  
—  Does  it  explain  past  observations  
—  Does  it  agree  with  other  models  
—  Does  it  predict  accurately  
What  do  all  these  pictures  have  in  
common?  
They  are  all  
systems!    
What  is  a  system?    
—  A  system  is  something  that:  
—  Is  made  up  of  individual  parts  
—  The  parts  all  work  together    
—  Parts  work  to  perform  a  particular  function  
•  A  bicycle  is  an  example  of  a    
     system  
Systems  and  Synergy  
—  Systems  approach  ,  the  environment  is  seen  as  a  set  of  
complex  systems  that  function  together  
—  Systems  can  be  living  or  non-­‐living  

—  IB  Definition  “  A  system  is  defined  as  an  assemblage  

of  parts  and  their  relationship  forming  a  functioning  
entirety  or  whole”  
Bicycle  parts  piled  on  the  floor  
Is  this  a  system?    
So…is  it  a  system?  
—  Building  
Is  it  a  system?  
—  Flower  
Is  it  a  system?  
—  Car  
Characteris=cs  of  a  System  
—  Systems  consist  of:  
—  Storage  
—  Flows  
—  Processes  
—  Feedback  mechanisms  
that  maintain  stability  
and  equilibrium  
—  Example:  Human  
Parts  of  Systems  
— Input-­‐  energy  or  matter  enters  a  system.    
— Output-­‐  something  produced  at  the  end  of  
a  system  
— Storage-­‐  areas  where  energy  or  matter  is  
accumulated  inside  a  system  
— Flow-­‐  movement  of  energy  or  matter  
within  a  system  
— Boundaries-­‐  outside/edge  of  a  system  
What  is  synergy?  
— Synergy  is    
— the  interaction  of  elements  that  when  
combined  produce  a  total  effect  
that  is  greater  than  the  sum  of  the  
individual  elements,  contributions,  etc.  
What  is  synergy?  
— Synergy  is    
— The  whole  is  greater  that  the  sum  of  its  
parts  

— Another  way  to  say  this:    

— Even  if  you  know  all  the  parts  that  make  
something  up,  you  still  cannot  know  how  
the  whole  system  will  behave  and  work  
Some  parts  of  a  system  
— Hydrogen,  nitrogen,  oxygen,  sodium,  
magnesium,  sulfur,  iron,  potassium,  
carbon,  calcium,  water  
— Cost  at  store  for  these  parts  ~  $  1.00  
— What  is  this  system??  
— How  does  this  system  behave??  
It  is  the  Human  Body  System  
—  This  is  what  we  mean  by  synergy  
—  You  could  never  begin  to  explain  your  behavi0r  or  all  
the  aspects  of  you,  if  you  only  reduce  a  system  down  
to  the  individual  parts  
—  Even  if  you  know  the  individual  
functions    you  still  can’t  predict  
the  overall  system  
 
 
 
System  Concept  on  a  Range  of  
Scales  
—  Works  for  everything  
from  a  single  celled  
organism  to  our  planet  
and  beyond  
Example  
—  Ordinary  table  salt  
—  NaCl  
—  Na  =  sodium,  a  metal  that  is  highly  reactive  in  water,  
explosive,  burns  with  a  yellow  flame.    
—  Cl  =  chlorine,  is  a  deadly  greenish  gas  
—  Both  of  these  parts  separately  are  poison    
—  But…  when  combined  they  create  salt  
—  Two  deadly  substances  combine  together  to  form  a  
compound  we  cannot  live  without.  
Parts  of  a  Structure  
—  When  we  understand  how  the  parts  of  a  structure  
interact,  we  can  better  understand  nature  as  a  whole.  
—  The  best  place  to  look  for  new  advances  in  technology  
and  science  is  nature.  
—  Vulture  wing  bone…anything  look  familiar?    
Ecological  Systems  
—  Ecological  systems  are  made  up  of  many  parts  and  
follow  laws  
—  The  interrelationship  between  these  parts  produces  
the  behavior  as  a  whole  
General  System  Diagram  
General  Ecosystem    
Types  of  Systems  
—  Open  system:  a  system  in  which  both  materials  and  
energy  are  exchanged  across  the  boundaries  of  the  
system  
—  Most  common  system    
—  Example:  Rainforest,  Ecosystems  
 
Types  of  Systems  
—  Closed  System:  A  system  in  which  energy  is  
exchanged  across  the  boundaries  but  matter  is  not.  
THIS  IS  VERY  RARE!!  
—  Examples:  The  Whole  Earth…maybe,  Experimentally  
—  Global  geochemical  cycles  approximate  a  closed  
system  
 
Types  of  Systems  
—  Biosphere  2  
 Types  of  Systems  
— Isolated  systems:  a  system  that  
does  not  exchange  matter  or  
energy.  
— This  is  cannot  occur  in  any  
environment  
— Ex.  Universe…maybe  
System  Models  
—  A  model  is  a  simplified  version  or  reality  and  can  be  
used  to  understand  how  a  system  works  and  to  
predict  how  it  will  respond  to  change.  
—  A  model  inevitably  involves  some  approximation  and  
therefore  loss  of  accuracy.  
Water  Cycle  
Flows  and  Storage  
—  Flows  
—  Energy  and  matter  both  flow  through  an  ecosystem.  
—  Storage  
—  At  different  stages  both  energy  and  matter  can  be  
stored,  the  place  where  they  are  stored  is  called  a  stock.  
Flows  
—  Energy  initially  enters  ecosystems  from  the  sun  as  
light.    
—  It  is  converted  and  stored  as  chemical  potential  
energy  
—  organic  molecules  pass  through  down  through  chains.    
—  Respiration  releases  this  energy  
—  all  energy  enters  an  ecosystem  and  is  lost  again.  .  
Flows  
—  Inputs  are  the  things  that  enter  the  system,  outputs  
are  the  things  that  exit  the  system  
Flows  
—  Matter  cycles  through  an  ecosystem.  
—  Nitrogen  is  fixed  by  bacteria  
—  Plants  assimilate  the  nitrogen  
—  Herbivores  consume  these  plants  and  the  nitrogen  
compounds  pass  through  the  food  chain.    
—  Eventually  the  plants  or  animals  will  die  and  
decomposer  break  down  organic  matter  and  return  it  to  
the  soil.  
Stock  
—  There  is  a  stock  of  chemical  potential  energy  in  the  
flesh  of  animals.    
—  This  same  flesh  is  composed  primarily  of  proteins.    
—  The  amino  acids  making  up  these  proteins  contains  a  
nitrogen  stock.  
Flows  and  Storage  
—  In  systems  diagrams,  flows  are  represented  by  arrows  
and  stores  by  boxes