A technical system is an artificial system. It is usually made by human beings. When Robots are making/designing large complex aircraft, maintaining nuclear power plants, is the above statement correct? For the time being park this question - let us assume every technical system is an artificial system.
What is a technical system? A system that delivers a function.
What is a system? A set of elements that interact together to achieve an objective or deliver a function {The text book definition}
What is a Function? Definitions of function on the Web:
- (mathematics) a mathematical relation such that each element of a given set (the domain of the function) is associated with an element of another set (the range of the function)
- what something is used for; "the function of an auger is to bore holes"; "ballet is beautiful but what use is it?"
- the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group; "the function of a teacher"; "the government must do its part"; "play its role"
- a relation such that one thing is dependent on another; "height is a function of age"; "price is a function of supply and demand"
- perform as expected when applied; "The washing machine won't go unless it's plugged in"; "Does this old car still run well?"; "This old radio doesn't work anymore"
- a formal or official social gathering or ceremony; "it was a black-tie function"
- serve: serve a purpose, role, or function; "The tree stump serves as a table"; "The female students served as a control group"; "This table would serve very well"; "His freedom served him well"; "The table functions as a desk"
- affair: a vaguely specified social event; "the party was quite an affair"; "an occasion arranged to honor the president"; "a seemingly endless round of social functions"
- officiate: perform duties attached to a particular office or place or function; "His wife officiated as his private secretary"
- routine: a set sequence of steps, part of larger computer program
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn - In mathematics, the Minkowski question mark function, sometimes called the slippery devil's staircase and denoted by ?(x), is a function possessing various unusual fractal properties, defined by Hermann Minkowski in 1904. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ - In computer science, a subroutine or subprogram (also called procedure, method, function, or routine) is a portion of code within a larger program, which performs a specific task and is relatively independent of the remaining code.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Function_(computer_science) - In engineering, a function is interpreted as a specific process, action or task that a system is able to perform .
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Function_(engineering) - A function is part of an answer to a question about why some object or process occurred in a system that evolved through a process of selection. Thus, function refers forward from the object or process, along some chain of causation, to the goal or success. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Function_(biology) - A notional-functional syllabus is a way of organizing a language-learning curriculum, rather than a method or an approach to teaching. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Function_(language)
Very confusing indeed - let us look at the engineering definition above - specific process, action or task that a system is able to perform. {However, this defines Function in the context of a system} Let us go to more abstract definition from mathematics - a mathematical relation such that each element of a given set (the domain of the function) is associated with an element of another set (the range of the function). In layman terms, some sort of process that changes "something" from one state to another - now this can be the state of the system itself or the environment that the system contains. Further, there are two known sets - domain and range - indicating some sort of relation (input - change - output).
Let us say a technical system is a set of elements that interact with each other and possibly with the environment to deliver "what something is used for - a useful or usable state" through transforming either its own state or the state of the environment in which it exist - which we call as delivering a function.
A technical system - since it is a transformation from one state to another must have structure to fulfill its functions. The structure needs information. It has to have information about states - or it has to be designed/structured for processing information - which gets manifested in transformation to multiple states.
Now one needs to look at the meaning and nature of information when we are defining a system - any system in general - but specifically a technical system - needs structure and has to have information about its structure and processing of transformation from input state space to output state space - which we call performing a function.
Now information about what - about elements - which are nothing but matter and energy - and their organization in space and changes in time which leads to the mapping and possibly transforming the input state to an output state. Thus - we have - Space Time Energy Matter and finally Information as 5 fundamental elements of describing any system. I call these the STEMI. In a technical system the STEMI goes through various changes which define the states and dynamics of the system. The CHANGE(S) can be evolutionary, revolutionary, destructive, constructive etc. When these changes happen in a iterated, semi-iterated, semi-recursive, manner, the system complexity emerges as the system elements performing specific functions can not be decoupled from each other to attribute specific functions emerging from these interactions.
Living systems are examples of such systems. And so are software based systems.
One of most interesting emergence of complexity in living systems has been the MIND - that leads to Thinking, Consciousness and in fact Power - The TCP.
The TCP on mind gives us the capability to create, observe, and evaluate Changes taking place in STEMI.
So in nutshell a new model of the technical system emerges which I call STEMIC TCP.
Reader may also like to read some earlier STEMIC TCP posts
http://innovationcrafting.blogspot.in/2011/05/stemic-tcp-model.html
http://innovationcrafting.blogspot.in/2011/04/stemic-tcp-model-of-worlduniverse.html
Now one needs to look at the meaning and nature of information when we are defining a system - any system in general - but specifically a technical system - needs structure and has to have information about its structure and processing of transformation from input state space to output state space - which we call performing a function.
Now information about what - about elements - which are nothing but matter and energy - and their organization in space and changes in time which leads to the mapping and possibly transforming the input state to an output state. Thus - we have - Space Time Energy Matter and finally Information as 5 fundamental elements of describing any system. I call these the STEMI. In a technical system the STEMI goes through various changes which define the states and dynamics of the system. The CHANGE(S) can be evolutionary, revolutionary, destructive, constructive etc. When these changes happen in a iterated, semi-iterated, semi-recursive, manner, the system complexity emerges as the system elements performing specific functions can not be decoupled from each other to attribute specific functions emerging from these interactions.
Living systems are examples of such systems. And so are software based systems.
One of most interesting emergence of complexity in living systems has been the MIND - that leads to Thinking, Consciousness and in fact Power - The TCP.
The TCP on mind gives us the capability to create, observe, and evaluate Changes taking place in STEMI.
So in nutshell a new model of the technical system emerges which I call STEMIC TCP.
Reader may also like to read some earlier STEMIC TCP posts
http://innovationcrafting.blogspot.in/2011/05/stemic-tcp-model.html
http://innovationcrafting.blogspot.in/2011/04/stemic-tcp-model-of-worlduniverse.html
<<<< To be Continued >>>>
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