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Complex Adaptive Systems

  • Living reference work entry
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Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

Synonyms

Fractal systems; Living systems; Self-organizing systems

Definition

A system is an organized set of elements working together as parts of the “whole”. These elements can be smaller systems (i.e., a subsystem) themselves. Elements can range from atoms, bits in a computer, to animals in an ecosystem or society. For example, a railway system includes trains, railways, stations, employees, ticket machines, a pricing system, etc. All of these are systems in their own terms. The train is made of seats, glass, lights, bolts, etc.; employees are made of a juridical contract and a citizen; and citizens are made of organs, tissue, cells, minerals, etc. In the same way that a system can contain smaller systems inside, the system can be part of a larger system itself. In the case of the railway system, this system is part of a national transportation system, part of a country or region, and even part of a mother company. The system elements do not need to be physical elements; values, for...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MARETEC/LARSYS, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Ricardo da Silva Vieira

Authors
  1. Ricardo da Silva Vieira
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ricardo da Silva Vieira .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. FTZ-ALS, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences FTZ-ALS, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Ctr Neurosci & Cell Biology, 1 Floor, Univ Coimbra, Edf Fac Medicina, Coimbra, Portugal

    Anabela Marisa Azul

  3. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  4. Istinye University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Pinar Gökcin Özuyar

  5. International Centre for Thriving, University of Chester, Chester, UK

    Tony Wall

Section Editor information

  1. CESUR, Center for Urban and Regional Systems, Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Heather Jones

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da Silva Vieira, R. (2019). Complex Adaptive Systems. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A., Brandli, L., Özuyar, P., Wall, T. (eds) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71059-4_11-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71059-4_11-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71059-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71059-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

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