Day 1 (15m)
What is a System?
A system is any collection of parts that are organized, connected, and serve a purpose.
Your body is a system. It has lots of parts (cells and tissue types) organized into organs (brain, heart, liver, etc.) that are connected to each other and serve the purpose of keeping you alive. In fact, it’s common to describe the body as a collection of sub-systems divided by their own unique function (immune system defends against disease, cardiovascular system transports blood to carry oxygen and waste, etc.).
The water cycle is a system. There are parts (vapor, liquid, ice) organized into collections of water (clouds, lakes, rivers, oceans, glaciers, etc.) with connections between the various sources and the purpose of moving water around the earth.
Of course, systems don’t just occur in nature, we design and engineer many ourselves. The smartphone that tells you you’re running late, the car you drive to get to your destination, the automatic speed camera that identifies your car, the postal service that mails you a ticket, and the court system that makes you pay… all systems we’ve engineered as humans.
Pick and watch one of the three videos below that looks the most interesting (they all describe a system, you can’t choose wrong).
Describe how the system in the video you watched exhibits the 3 key properties of a system.
Systems and You
You are an active participant in many systems. Let’s take a look at your wallet (don’t worry, not asking you to pay).
… Seriously, take it out of your pocket/bag and put it next to you. Start examining the contents.
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There’s probably a driver’s license in there (87% of those 16 years or older have a driver’s license). It not only represents your participation in the automobile and transportation system of your state, it is often a critical component of other systems in providing identification.
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If you’re lucky, you’re one of the approximately 91% of Americans with some form of insurance coverage and you carry a card that represents your membership in a health insurance system. Your insurance is part of a larger healthcare system.
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Nearly 72% of Americans have at least one credit card in there.
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You might even carry of picture of someone special that reflects your belonging to a family or social group.
What else is in your wallet? Can you identify the system(s) they relate to?