TABLE OF CONTENTS Recall again chapter 2 where we have seen that any referent may be represented as a system, and systems may be classified by construction and by time scale. Chapters 6 and 7 discussed systems from the constructional viewpoint, distinguishing between representations of the referent as a black box system and as a structural system.
In this chapter and the next, we concentrate on systems classified by time scale. There are two options: viewing the referent at a time instant, leading to its representation as a product, or observing its operation over a time period, regarding it as a process.
This chapter deals with products, and chapter 9 with processes. Remember that distinction by time scale is independent of the constructional view: both products and processes may be represented as black boxes and as structures.
As always, we start from our formal definition of system :
where, for a finite system S,
| E | = { e1, e2, e n} is the element set and |
| R | = {r1, r2, r m} is a set of interrelationships defined over elements of E. |
We also have an informal definition of product as the representation of the referent at a time instant, either as black box or as structure. The task is now to interpret expression 8.1 to convey the meaning of the informal definition.
Products are designated by capitals, usually by P, distinguishing them from processes...
