1.2.1—Systems definition
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2026
- Objective
- 1.2.1
- Level
- HL
A System Is More Than a List
A system is a functional whole whose components interact or depend on one another.
Set a boundary, name components and show the relationship that makes the whole function. Several unrelated parts are not a system model.
A cafeteria links food, money, equipment, people and waste to provide meals; a random list of those items does not.
The interactions and flows—feeding, decomposition, water movement—are missing.
Having several parts is not enough; organized interaction is the defining feature.