Contents
Open systems are simply systems that are constantly interacting with their surroundings, exchanging things like energy, materials, and information to stay active and alive.
What Are Systems in General Systems Theory?
General systems theory is a way of looking at the world that focuses on how different parts work together to create a whole. Instead of breaking things down into their smallest pieces, it looks at the relationships between them. Think of a bicycle: it’s not just a pile of parts (wheels, pedals, chains), but a system where all those parts must work together to function. The same idea applies to everything from a plant cell to a company.
Classifying Systems: Open, Closed, and Isolated Systems
To understand open systems, it helps to know the difference between open and closed systems, and the third type, isolated systems. The main difference is how much they interact with the world outside their borders.
| System Type | Energy Exchange | Matter Exchange | Information Exchange | What It Means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Systems | Yes | Yes | Yes | Can adapt, grow, and stay organized. (e.g., a person) |
| Closed Systems | Yes | No | No | Can’t take in new materials, tends to run down. (e.g., a sealed jar of soup) |
| Isolated Systems | No | No | No | A theoretical idea; doesn’t interact with anything at all. (e.g., a perfect thermos) |
Almost everything we see in the real world, especially living things, are open systems.
Core Characteristics of Open Systems
Open systems share a few key features that explain how they work. These characteristics of open systems are what allow them to survive and change.
- Input, Processing, and Output: Open systems take things in from the environment (input), use them in some way (processing), and then release something back out (output). A car takes in fuel (input), the engine burns it to move (processing), and it releases exhaust (output).
- Staying Balanced (Homeostasis): This is the ability to maintain a stable internal environment even when things outside are changing. For example, your body works to keep your temperature at about 98.6°F (37°C) whether it’s a hot summer day or a cold winter night.
- Using Feedback to Adjust: Open systems use information to correct themselves. A thermostat is a perfect example. When it senses the room is too cold (feedback), it turns the heat on. This allows the system to stay balanced.
- Staying Organized (Fighting Disorder): In nature, things tend to break down and become disorganized over time. This is called entropy. Open systems fight this by taking in energy from their environment to build, repair, and maintain themselves. A plant uses sunlight to grow, while a rock is slowly worn down by the wind and rain.
- Different Paths, Same Goal (Equifinality): This principle means there are many ways to reach the same end. For example, two different companies could become successful using completely different business strategies. In open systems, the starting point doesn’t always determine the destination.
Examples of Open Systems Across Different Disciplines
The idea of open systems applies to almost every field of study. These examples of open systems show how common they are.
Examples of Open Systems in Biology
Biology is full of the best examples of open systems.
- A Living Being: If you ask, is a living being an open system?, the answer is a definite yes. Every animal and plant is an open system. They need to eat or absorb nutrients (matter), take in energy (from food or the sun), and react to their environment (information) to survive.
- Photosynthesis: Photosynthesis as an open system shows this perfectly. A plant takes in sunlight (energy), carbon dioxide, and water (matter) from its surroundings. It processes them to create sugar for its own energy and releases oxygen as an output.
Examples in Chemistry and Physics
- A Cup of Coffee: Why is a cup of coffee an open system? Because it constantly interacts with the room around it. It loses heat (energy) to the air, and steam (matter) evaporates from its surface.
- A Campfire: A fire must pull in oxygen (matter) from the air and use wood (matter) as fuel to keep burning. In return, it releases heat and light (energy) along with smoke and ash (matter).
Examples in Earth Science and Ecology
- An Ecosystem: A forest is a huge open system. It gets energy from the sun and exchanges water and gases with the atmosphere. Animals and plants within it exchange nutrients and energy with each other.
- A River: A river is constantly getting water from rain and smaller streams (input) and losing it as it flows into a lake or the ocean (output). It carries and deposits soil, changing the landscape as it moves.
How Do Open Systems Exchange Energy with Their Environment?
Open systems exchange energy with their environment, along with matter and information, through a border that controls what comes in and out.
- Energy Exchange: This happens through heat, light, and motion.
- Matter Exchange: This is the physical movement of materials, like eating, drinking, and breathing.
- Information Exchange: This involves signals and signs, like an animal seeing a predator or a person reading a book.
The process is a continuous loop:
[Environment] --> (INPUT) --> [THE SYSTEM] --> (OUTPUT) --> [Environment]
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: What are systems that exchange information?
Systems that exchange information are open systems that can learn and adapt. By taking in information, a system can understand what is happening around it and change its actions to better suit the conditions. This is the basis for all forms of learning, from a plant growing towards sunlight to a business responding to customer reviews.
Q2: What is the main difference between open and closed systems?
The biggest difference between open and closed systems is that open systems can change and grow by interacting with their environment, while closed systems cannot. Because they are cut off from new materials, closed systems tend to wind down over time. Openness is what makes growth, life, and creativity possible.
Q3: Is Earth considered an open or closed system?
Earth is a special case: it’s open for energy but closed for matter. We get a huge amount of energy from the sun every day, but we have a fixed amount of matter (water, minerals, air). This is very important because it means our resources are limited, and waste products like pollution can build up because they have nowhere to go.
Conclusion
The idea of open systems is a simple but powerful tool from general systems theory. It teaches us that almost everything is connected and constantly interacting. This exchange with the environment is not just a feature—it’s what allows systems to function, adapt, and survive. Understanding the characteristics of open systems helps us see the world as a dynamic and interconnected place, from the smallest cells to the entire planet.
