Example:
A Car's Cooling "System"

The cooling system in a car may consist of a radiator, a fan, a water pump, a thermostat, a cooling jacket, and several hoses and clamps. Together they function to keep the engine from overheating, but separately they are useless. To do the job, all of the parts must be present and they must be arranged in the proper way. Moving one end of a hose just an inch is enough to put the whole cooling system (and the car, its suprasystem) out of commission (Kauffman, 1978).

Also see:

• What is a system?
  
• Can one system be a "piece" of another system?
  
• Examples: mechanical systems
  
• Example: the thermostat
  

Last Modified: 06 November 1999
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