BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

ENERGY NETWORK 2)

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The pathways and circuits covered by an energy flow in a system or set of systems.

The concept has been introduced by H. ODUM (1971).

As explained earlier by A. LOTKA high quality energy entering a set of interconnected systems becomes degraded by stages, while part of it may be recycled in some sections. As stated by R.N. ADAMS: "There is an energy cost of every activity, act, and event" (1988, p.35).

ODUM proposed "energy network diagrams" as a representation of energy networks: "Flows of energy move from the sources, usually drawn on the left along pathways lines to the right. We refer to these flows as moving from upstream to downstream when they move from source towards sink. In energy circuit language, the simple arrow is used to indicate the direction of the driving force". ODUM created a number of graphic symbols to describe the various transformations incurred by the energy flow: Source, passive storage, heat sink, potential generating work, cycling receptor (or, module), work gate, self maintenance, switch, transaction constant, gain amplifier, active impedance, one way valve and adding junction (p.37-38).

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

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