ELEMENTS OF A THEORY OF SYSTEM BEHAVIOUR

Abstract

This chapter presents a general theory of system behavior. The theory is formulated in terms of cybernetic concepts. An active element E means a material object that depends in a given manner on other material objects and acts in a given manner on other material objects. The set of other material objects shall be called the environment of the given element. The input and output states of element E can be represented by numbers. An active element can be coupled with more than one other active element. Conversely, more than one element can be coupled with a given element. In a set containing a larger number of coupled active elements, there can be many different arrangements of couplings—open and closed chains (loops) and all sorts of ramifications. A set of such varied arrangements of couplings is called a network of couplings. Networks of couplings are a special case of so-called graphs, that is, of abstract relations between the elements of a set.