A System is extremely vague terms for a collection of networks that work simultaneously to collect, filter, and distribute data. The System itself can be large or small, but generally consists of parts that equal a whole to work towards a common goal. Every system includes five main components, which include input, process, output, feedback, and control. (1) In part, these parts work reactively and responsively to one another to continue moving forward.
The best example is the nervous system, located in the body of living organisms. The nervous system is a collection of nerves and cells that communicate with the brain and spinal cord to relay messages to different parts of the body. The nervous system satisfies all of the components that classify a system. For example, the nerve endings are stimulated from an external source such as a hot plate. The nerve cells generate impulses, carried from neuron to neuron, to get to the brain. The nerve impulses are delivered to the brain in order to receive instructions per say on how to react appropriately to the hot plate. The brain senses that your hand is touching something dangerous. Your brain sends neurons down to your hand, causing you to remove your hand before you can be harmed. Therefore, you are not harmed. (2)
This process includes input (nerve cells stimulated), process (impulses being carried to the brain and the brain recognizing that there is pending danger), output (sending impulses to your hand to pull away), feedback (your hand receiving the impulse to pull away), and control (your hand pulling away and avoiding harm).
Another example of a system is involved in a new technology that was recently introduced to my firm. I work at an Accounting firm that is interested in going paperless. To achieve this, my firm bought a machine that scans tax documents, among other relevant documents, into a program installed on the computer. The program then reads the document, saves it into our hard drive, and goes even further as to attaching the documents and its information into the tax program, directly into the individual’s return. This new technology is a good example of a system because it scans the information on the documents, processes it in the hard drive, and adds it into the tax program and inputs the numbers into the correct fields. The result is a return that saves the step of inputting the numbers, leaving only the work of analyization, which can only be done by an accountant. (3).
In conclusion, systems are not only relevant for businesses or software. In fact, systems occur in daily life because the communication of different systems is often required to make even the simplest of tasks happen. Systems are required for breathing, maintaining life, as well as making businesses work more efficiently. Systems are vital to understand when interpreting the world.
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