Systems
An Introduction |
Prof. David Bernstein |
Computer Science Department |
bernstdh@jmu.edu |
System | A set of entities, their attributes, and the relationships between them. |
Entities | The components of the system that are known/observed. |
Attributes | The properties of the entities (i.e., the external manifestations of the way the objects are known or observed). |
Relationships | The bonds that link objects and attributes |
We gauge the level of detail/abstraction by viewing the system under consideration in relation to:
Environment | The set of all other systems (also known as the context and the domain) |
Subsystems | Parts of the whole which display a richness of interrelationships |
Elements/Atoms | The smallest parts of the system (i.e., the black boxes) |