IB ESS Topic 1 Test | Systems

Model

A simplified version/ representation of reality; it can be used to understand how a system works and predict how it will respond to change.

System

Any set of interacting or interdependent components organized to create a functional whole.

Reductionist approach

Divides systems into parts or components and is studied separately.

Emergent properties 

characteristics or behaviors of a system that arise from the interactions and relationships between its individual components, rather than from the properties of those components alone.

System diagrams consist of..

Flows, Inputs, and processes

Input

Energy or matter enters a system

Output

Something produced at the end of a system

Flow

Movement of energy or matter within a system from one location to another.

Boundaries

Outside/edge of a system

Transformation

Move energy and matter through the process of doing so, and there is a change of state or form.

Transfers

Simply move energy or matter from one place to another without changing it in any way

Open System

A system in which both materials and energy are exchanged across the boundaries of the system.

Closed System

A system in which energy is exchanged across the boundaries, but matter is not (Very Rare)

Equilibrium

The state of balance in an ecosystem

Steady-State 

Maintains a stable system due to constant flow of inputs and outputs.

Static

Doesn’t apply to natural systems. No inputs or outputs.

Negative Feedback

When the output returns as an input in a way that promotes stability

Positive Feedback

Tend to amplify change and drive the system towards a tipping point. 

Tipping Point

A tipping point is a threshold at which a system undergoes a rapid and irreversible change.