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A System vs. A Heap :
A System is an interconnecting parts functioning as a whole.
A Heap is a collection of parts
A System is changed if you take a way pieces or add more pieces.
Essential properties of a heap are unchanged whether you add or take away
pieces.
If you cut the system in half, you do not get two smaller systems,
but a damaged system that will probably not function.
When you cut a heap
in half, you have two smaller heaps.
In a system, the arrangement of the pieces is crucial.
In a
heap, the arrangement of the pieces is irrelevant.
In a system, the parts are connected and work together. Its
behavior depends on the total structure.
A heap's behavior (if any) depends
on the size or the number of pieces in the heap.
If you change the structure of a system, the behavior changes.
If you change a heap, the parts are not connected and can function separately.
From The Art of Systems Thinking: Essential Skills for Creativitiy and Problem Solving by Joseph O'Conner and Ian McDermott.
