l1-system-completeness

Law #1: System completeness

This first law describes the minimum required to have a viable system. It is also the only law necessary for the birth of a new system.

Any technical system appears as a result of a synthesis of several parts into a single whole.In order to be viable, the main components of this technical system have to be present and perform a minimal working efficiency.

The main characteristics of a system are the following:

• • Systems are composed of parts, elements, they have a structure

  • Systems are designed for specific reasons (objectives), they fulfill useful functions

  • Parts of systems are interconnected, they are designed and linked in a structured way in space and time

  • Every system possesses in its whole a particular property additionnaly from the sum of the properties of its constituent elements

A working system must have 4 parts:

• • the engine, which generate energy from external resources

  • the transmission brings the energy to the working unit

  • the working unit (working organ) that is in contact with the object

  • the control element

Each parts must be present, and perform its function.

Looking a technical system in this way allows to identify if the system is complete and efficient.

The working unit, which is in contact with the object, is the last transformation of energy.

The Main Useful Function (MUF)

A function describes the ability of a technical system to deliver a requested property in defined conditions

To be able to define it, we must answer either one or the other of these questions:

• • What does the system do? (for existing ones)

  • What should the system do? (for non existent systems or systems in the synthesis phase

It is the why the system exists, and must be written as a sentence with :

• • The subject is the system

  • The verb is the action

  • The object is ... the object

Another very important point is to use very simple language. Typically, a 6 years children should be able to understand the MUF.

Example

For example, For a car, we can formulate this sentence:

"The car transports the passenger"

where

• • The system is the car

  • The action is to transport

  • The object is the passenger

With this MUF, lets analyse the object decomposition.

• • The working unit is in contact with the object. In this case, the seat can be considered as the working unit

  • The transmission is the structure that maintain the seat in the car

  • the engine is the wheel, or can be the surface between road and the wheel.

This case shows that we have to define precisely the scope of the study. By doing that we reduce or increase the field of the study

I we just wants to study a new seat. we can define a more precise MUF, as "the seats supports the passenger",...