Systems Theory for Engineering Practice: Insights from Physics

This book presents cognition of the universality of systems theory thinking by using some ordinary physical phenomena and their methods in study, of which the involved treatments are consistent with the viewpoint of systems theory. It contains the collective actions of classical vibration of many bodies and wave, the extreme value problem in natural world, status of electrons in atom-molecule and metals, Ising model in phase transition and elementary excitation in solid, multi-objective optimization in a system, description of effective media approximation, certainty in uncertain phenomena, all these reflect the cooperative/synergetic effects, wholeness of group actions, “unity of opposites” inside a system, and collective phenomena in a system completely. The relevant methodologies for systems theory are organic combination and synergism of both “reductionism” and “holism” instead of “confrontation” or “separation” of them, which could be used in dealing with analogous problems in systems science and engineering fields in response to the idiom of “stones from other hills being good for polishing this jade” and “comprehend by analogy”, so as to promote the transformation of wisdom to productivity. The authors wish this work could play its role as a paving stone to serve the research and application of systems theory. This book can be used as a textbook for postgraduate and advanced undergraduate students in relevant majors, and a reference book for scientists and practitioners in related fields.