UNDERSTAND THAT SYSTEMS ARE MADE OF COMPONENTS THAT MAY BE SYSTEMS THEMSELVES AND THAT INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER TO PRODUCE AN END RESULT.

A STUDENT SHOULD KNOW THAT:

A. COMPONENTS OF A SYSTEM INFLUENCE ONE ANOTHER. FOR EXAMPLE, BIOLOGICAL
     SYSTEMS AND PHYSICAL SYSTEMS.

1. A system is a regularly interacting group of components forming a unified whole.  A system may also be a subsystem or component of a larger system.
   1. A biological system such as the human body is composed of a variety of systems working together. Body systems are interdependent. Each contributes to the operation of the system as a whole.
      1. Cells which act together are organized into tissues.
      2. Tissues which act together are organized into organs.
      3. Organs which act together are organized into systems.
   2. In an ecosystem, living communities and their physical environment function together as an interdependent and relatively stable system.
      1. An ecosystem includes relationships that cycle and recycle materials between organisms and their environment.
      2. An ecosystem must contain a constant supply of energy which is available to all organisms within the ecosystem. The energy must flow from organism to organism through a food web.
      3. An ecosystem is a system that is constantly changing, resulting in changes to the make-up of its community.
   3. Physical systems such as the solar system, machines, and the hydrologic cycle are composed of components or subsystems working together.
      1. The solar system is made up of the sun, the nine planets, and other bodies that revolve around the sun.
      2. A hydrologic cycle is a physical system which interacts with all components of an ecosystem. In the hydrologic cycle, water goes through the process of evaporation, condensation, precipitation and runoff.
      3. Machines are used to transfer mechanical energy from one object to another.

TO UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPTS OUTLINED ABOVE, A STUDENT SHOULD BE ABLE TO:

• Describe, given a diagram of a system, he events hat occur in that system in the proper sequence.
• Predict what will happen when one component of a system is removed and/or modified.
• Disassemble and reassemble the components of a system.
• Describe how the behavior of a system may be different from the behavior of its components.
• Identify the appropriate larger system given descriptions of one or more systems that are components of a larger system.
• Analyze a system to show how the output of one subsystem can become the input for another subsystem.
• Make inferences from observations and from collected data that a system is composed of interacting parts. (For example, weather and predator/prey relationships)