IB Digital Society 2.6 Systems Key Definitions

When a system as a whole shows behaviour or patterns that none of its individual parts have on their own, so the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

A cycle in which the output of a system feeds back to affect its own input, either amplifying the change (reinforcing) or pushing back to keep the system steady (balancing).

The extension of internet connectivity to everyday physical objects such as lights, watches, and sensors, so they can collect data and be monitored or controlled over the network.

A way to think about structure and order in human, natural and built environments.

Effects of a change to a system that its designers did not plan or expect, which arise because the parts of a system are interconnected in ways that are hard to foresee.