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Title: First principles: Systems and their analysis

Abstract

This paper is intended to challenge systems professionals to think about systems -- not at the process level but at the foundational level: first principles. System principles at the concept level, and what one understands about them, determine what one practices at the process level -- that is, how one defines ``systems engineering``. When Kant, Kepler, Newton, Einstein, and the others were deriving the natural laws, where was the comparable basic work in the natural order of things: systems? Is our profession one of simply employing some fairly good empirical procedures? Is there a legitimate place for a ``First Law of Systems`` alongside The First Law of Thermodynamics? Who would do this research? Who would fund it? Is now the time? Why should we care?

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
10172264
Report Number(s):
WHC-SA-1919; CONF-9307106-1
ON: DE93016822; TRN: AHC29305%%20
DOE Contract Number:  
AC06-87RL10930
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: National Council on Systems Engineering meeting,Washington, DC (United States),26-28 Jul 1993; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1993
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
42 ENGINEERING; SYSTEMS ANALYSIS; PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL; ENGINEERING; HISTORICAL ASPECTS; VERIFICATION; DOCUMENTATION; SPECIFICATIONS; DATA BASE MANAGEMENT; PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS; DECISION MAKING; 420000

Citation Formats

Woods, T W. First principles: Systems and their analysis. United States: N. p., 1993. Web.
Woods, T W. First principles: Systems and their analysis. United States.
Woods, T W. 1993. "First principles: Systems and their analysis". United States.
@article{osti_10172264,
title = {First principles: Systems and their analysis},
author = {Woods, T W},
abstractNote = {This paper is intended to challenge systems professionals to think about systems -- not at the process level but at the foundational level: first principles. System principles at the concept level, and what one understands about them, determine what one practices at the process level -- that is, how one defines ``systems engineering``. When Kant, Kepler, Newton, Einstein, and the others were deriving the natural laws, where was the comparable basic work in the natural order of things: systems? Is our profession one of simply employing some fairly good empirical procedures? Is there a legitimate place for a ``First Law of Systems`` alongside The First Law of Thermodynamics? Who would do this research? Who would fund it? Is now the time? Why should we care?},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/10172264}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1993},
month = {Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1993}
}

Conference:
Other availability
Please see Document Availability for additional information on obtaining the full-text document. Library patrons may search WorldCat to identify libraries that hold this conference proceeding.

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