ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a number of systems concepts that formalise and facilitate this decomposition process. A special methodology is needed to deal with the complexity and to allow engineering systems to be designed, constructed and maintained. Real engineering systems are extremely complex when observed closely and it is not possible or even desirable to take full account of all of these complexities. In many engineering systems the various components can be distinguished one from another because there are clear and distinct physical boundaries. Engineering systems usually operate with the purpose of achieving a specified goal. There are various additional concepts that can facilitate the modelling and analysis of engineering systems and we shall now introduce them. These concepts are also applicable to processes but for reasons of brevity our discussion will focus on their application to systems. Various systems concepts have been introduced in this chapter, including system and process, hierarchy, input and output, state, optimisation, equilibrium and stability.
