Title: 'Unit terms thinking' as first stage in modelling and simulating behaviour of technical 'matter systems'

Authors: Gianni Grasso

Addresses: Department for Economy Development – Leather Industries Experimental Station, via Nuova Poggioreale 39, 80143 Napoli, Italy; School of Agricultural Science, University of Basilicata, Potenza, via dell' Ateneo Lucano, 85100, Italy

Abstract: 'Unit terms thinking' is an approach that formalises the technical matter systems and the correlated knowledge in scientific, unitary concepts, as cause-effects variables, involved structure elements, modified inner interconnections, sequenced system states, etc., of the investigated objects. The subject covers the knowledge dominion of the applied chemistry, materials science, food and agricultural sciences and biotechnologies, focused on the industrial products. 'Unit terms thinking' helps to 'enter' in the technical systems structures, extending to the inner of their 'black-boxes' the conventional engineering unitary approaches to processes stated at the macroscale. The fundamental concept of property of a technical 'body' is formally established as unit property based on an array of basic unit terms. For this purpose, an analogical behaviour-model of the system is presented, stated on three 'input/output' sub-models; two 'black-box', stated on matter/energy exchanges and information processing; and one 'white-box', focused on the inner transformations mechanisms. A fourth hybrid grey-box model, allows to draw all current quantitative math models employed in modelling the technical properties of the materials (unit systems laws).

Keywords: systemic analysis; knowledge modelling; open systems; critical systems thinking; synthesis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJASS.2017.089936

International Journal of Applied Systemic Studies, 2017 Vol.7 No.4, pp.209 - 226

Accepted: 13 Apr 2016
Published online: 26 Feb 2018 *

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