A component is any resource or agent which has both of the following traits:
- is a persistent functional element in a model or system
- can be added to or removed from that model or system
Components are technically inputs in systemic processes, but unlike non-persistent inputs, components have one of the following traits:
- are apparently unaffected by the process, as with chemical catalysts
- experience minor and predictable change, and can be dependably repaired or replaced by a related system
Each component may be the sole provider of a specific input or function in a system, or may be a member of a set of components which perform the same functions. (For example, each skin cell is a component in the skin of an animal.) Likewise, each component may or may not be governed by any agents or forces which govern the system (or systems!) which it functions within. (Governance is a subject in which mental and social organization is more akin to ecology than biology. The organisms in an ecosystem influence each other deeply, but are rarely governed by each other; by contrast, biological cells and organs are always governed by a specific organism.)
In designed systems, the function(s) provided by each component may be either required or recommended by designers or governers.
The relationships between components may develop through direct interfaces or via connectors (mediums, links or channels). Connectors are also systemic components, and should be defined as such unless it’s practical to ignore them because they’re so generic or ubiquitous. (For example, we often safely assume that air is present to transmit sound.) If special connectors are identified, the components which they connect are networking nodes.
- An eye performs the function of providing vision for an organism.
- A nerve (made of nerve cells) performs the function of sending electrical signals between organs in animals. (Nerves create channels.)
- A motor performs the function of providing power to move a vehicle.
- A paragraph performs the function of developing a conceptual component (or "point") in an essay.
- A committee performs one or more specific functions in a collective.
- A peer performs one or more specific functions in a p2p networking system.