System Design and Complexity

After Lecture Learning Questions to the Lecture System Design and Complexity by Prof. Schweitzer, ETH Zürich, fall 2016.

After Lecture Learning Questions to the Lecture System Design and Complexity by Prof. Schweitzer, ETH Zürich, fall 2016.

Roland Schenkel

Roland Schenkel

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Karten 88
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Stufe Universität
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What is meant by deterministic chaos and how does it arise?

Deterministic: no noise, no random input, clear definition of consecutive steps

Chaos: aperiodic long term behavior → no settling down to fixed point or repeating

Cycle; sensitive to initial conditions, which can lead to separation of trajectories

 

What is the difference between the switched server system and the switched arrival system?

Vice versa problem: server is filling or emptying, buffers are emptied or filled

 

Explain the role of the maximum capacity, b, for the dynamics (switched server system)

B is the control parameter, decreasing b can lead to chaos.

 

What is the meaning of “chaos” in such a production system? (switched server system)

Buffer contents are not predictable anymore → planning problems, inefficiency

What is the meaning of market clearing?

Supply = Demand. In economics, market clearing is the process by which, in an economic market, the supply of whatever is traded is equated to the demand, so that there is no leftover supply or demand.

Explain the role of price elasticities for supply and demand. What is the meaning of a high elasticity? What is the difference to price derivatives?

Is a measure used in economics to show the responsiveness, or elasticity, of the quantity demanded / supplied of a good or service to a change in its price. High elasticity: changes in price have a relatively large effect on supply / demand, E > 1.

Price derivative: absolute change in price depending on quantity, elasticity: relative change.

Price derivative: slope of (demand or supply) curve

Elasticity: price derivative * current price / current quantity

What conditions have to be fulfilled for a stable equilibrium of supply and demand in the Cobweb model? What is their economic interpretation?

beta/delta<1, price derivatives of supply and demand

What are the limitations of the classical cobweb theory? How does coupled cobwebs overcome some of these limitations?

  • Only simple outcomes: damped, exploding, periodic oscillations.

  • Real markets are irregular, “random looking” prices

  • Suppliers: no simple expectations, but anticipatory effects

  • No interaction between markets: consider inter-market influence
  • Coupled cobwebs are looking at two markets, are sensitive to profits and costs

  • Represent more realistic price dynamics

     

Explain the role of the profit and the sensitivity to it on the decision of the suppliers.

Profit is the trigger for suppliers on which market to go. They go where profit is higher. The sensitivity is the parameter which implies how strong suppliers react to profit differences.

Explain the structure and the meaning of a production function. What are increasing and decreasing returns to scale?

Y=F(x1,x2,...xn)

Input factors of production x, output Y. Key inputs: Capital (K), Labour (L). Describes only technology, not economic behavior.

Substitute technology: Y=a+bx1+cx2+... => Sum

Complementary technology: Y=min{x1,x2,...} => Product

If output increases by more than that proportional change in inputs, there are increasing returns to scale.

If output increases by less than that proportional change in inputs, there are decreasing returns to scale

What is specific for a Cobb-Douglas production function? When can it be applied, given that α = 1 − β?

Specific form of Y=ALK

    Alpha + beta = 1 → constant returns to scale

Explain the key ingredients of Solow’s growth model, i.e. the assumptions about capital and labour, and their relations to investment and consumption.

Y=C+I → all output is spent as consumption or investment, C, I depend on the saving rate

2 feedback mechanisms: Change in capital (due to investment and depreciation) and growth in labour supply (immigration and/or reproduction)

 

Explain the comparative statics diagram. What is the meaning of an optimal saving rate?

Compare two equilibrium states

    Optimal saving rate: allows to maximize consumption → everyone is wealthier

 

Explain how wealthy and poor countries can achieve the golden level of capital.

Adopt the same saving rate → poor countries should increase saving, rich countries

    Should decrease saving

 

What are the merits and drawbacks of Solow’s growth model?

Explains some of the empirical data

Neglects benefits from human capital and technological progress

What is a business cycle? Is this in contradiction with the assumption of economic growth?

Business cycle: cyclic behavior around long term economic growth → therefore, no Contradiction.

    Boom - recession - depression - recovery

Why do we need nonlinear functions for investment and savings?

Linear functions can’t explain cyclicity (only possible by use of exogenous factors). Linear functions with an exact proportionality

    don’t represent reality

 

Describe the notion of hysteresis.

Hysteresis in class: cyclicity combined with quick changes to different states

Why is immediate demand adaptation of production capacity not economically sound?

Dynamics usually take time to adjust. IClassical example: more pig breeding due to high demand in pork meat. Pigs need to grow.

What is the Free Float (FF)?

What is the Total Float (TF)?

Formula for Population Growth?

\({dx\over dt}=k_R x-x/a_R \)   kr: birth rate, ar: average lifetime

\(x(t)=x_0e^{rt}\)

Formulas for coupled populations

\({dx \over dt}=k_Rx-f_R(x,y)\)  and \({dy \over dt}=k_Fy-f_F(x,y)\)

Formulas for the Bass Innovation Model

\(k(t)=ci{N_A (t)\over N}\)  and \(N=N_A(t)+N_P(t)\)

Dynamics

\({dN_P \over dt}=-k(t)N_P=-ci{dN_A(t) \over N}N_P\)  and \({dN_A \over dt}=-{dN_P \over dt}\)

c: contact rate, i: probability of adoption

General Form: \({df(t) \over dt}=\beta f(t)[1-f(t)]\) with solution \(f(t)={1\over 1+e^{-\beta (t-\mu )}}\)

Formula for the common source model

\({df(t) \over dt}=\alpha [1-f(t)]\) => solution \(f(t)=1-e^{-\alpha t}\)

no S-Curve!

Formula of the mixed source model

\({df(t) \over dt}=\alpha[1-f(t)]+\beta f(t)[1-f(t)]\)

=> S-Courve

Forumla of the logistic map

\(x_{n+1}=rx_n(1-x_n)\)

r: length of time step

0 < r < 1: x_stat => 0

1 < r < 3: x_stat => 1-(1/r)

3 < r < 4: oscillations

Formulas of the Cobweb-Dynamics

\(s_t=\alpha+\beta p_{t-1}\)  supply responses to price with time lag

\(d_t=\gamma-\delta p_t\)

\(\alpha,\gamma\): basic supply/demand at p=0

\(\beta,\delta\) price derivatives

Market Clearing:

\(s_t=d_t\) => \(p_t={1\over \delta}(\gamma-\alpha)-{\beta \over \delta}p_{t-1}\)

if \({\beta \over \delta}\) <1  => Equilibrium

\({\beta \over \delta}\) >1  => unstable, explode

\({\beta \over \delta}\) =1  => oscillations

Define project management. What are its two objectives?

Project management is the discipline of organizing and managing resources in such a way that these resources deliver all the work required to complete a project within defined scope, time, and cost constraints.

On-time endeavor.

Two objectives: deliver results within prespecified constraints, optimize allocation of resources to meet predefined objectives

What do we mean by PEST and SWOT analysis? What is their position in the context of the problem solving cycle?

PEST: Sociological, Technological, Economic, and Political

    SWOT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats

    

    Structured methods to analyze the situation.


    => Setting the objective; situation analysis

List the stages of the problem solving cycle.

  • Setting the objective

    • Situation analysis

    • Formulation of the objective

  • Search for solutions

    • Concept synthesis

    • Concept analysis

  • Selection of solutions

    • Evaluation of concepts

    • Decision

What are the criteria that good objectives have to fulfill?

Solution neutrality

Operability, Measurability

Completeness and Balance

Contradiction–free, Redundancy–free

Prioritization

Define systems engineering and outline the role and principles of system design.

SE is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design and manage complex systems over their life cycles.

 

Structural perspective, representative agents, macroscopic dynamics

 

Outline the different types of element interdependence. What is the difference between positive and negative causation, especially when regarding the role of positive/negative feedback mechanisms for the stability of the system.

Unidirectional: A => B

    Feedback: A ⇔ B

    Indirect: A => B, B => C

 

Positive causation:  +A => +B   => positive feedback, reinforcement, leads to instability

Negative causation +A => -B    => negative feedback, damping effect, leads to stability

 

Formulas of Solow Groth Model

\(Y=F[K(t),L(t)]\)

\(Y(t)=C(t)+I(t)\)

\(I(t)=sY(t)\) and \(C(t)=(1-s)Y(t)\)

Dynamics:

\({dK(t) \over dt}=I(t)-\delta K(t)=sY-\delta K(t)\) Depreciation

\({dL(t)\over dt}=nL(t)\) Population growth, immigration

\(y={Y\over L}=f[k(t)]=Ak(t)^{1-\alpha}=Ak(t)^\beta\)

How does the BCG looks like?

See image

project life cycle?

initiation, planning, execution, closure

Formulas of the density dependent diffusion?

\(K={r\over (k_b+k_d)}\), K: carrying capacity

\({df(t)\over dt}=rf(t)(1-{f(t)\over K})\)

\(f(t)={K\over 1+\eta e^{-rt}}\)  with \(\eta={K\over f(0)}-1\)

Define systems engineering and outline the role and principles of system design.

SE is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design and manage complex systems over their life cycles.

 

Structural perspective, representative agents, macroscopic dynamics

 

Systems engineering is about defining the system:

→ structural (elements), organizational (shape), functional (what does system do) perspective.

 

Systems design is about defining the structure and dynamics of a system such that a desired outcome is obtained

 

List the stages of the problem solving cycle. What are the criteria that good objectives have to fulfill?

  • Setting the objective

    • Situation analysis

    • Formulation of the objective

  • Search for solutions

    • Concept synthesis

    • Concept analysis

  • Selection of solutions

    • Evaluation of concepts

    • Decision

 

    Solution neutrality, state requirements (normative)

Operability, Measurability

Completeness and Balance

Contradiction–free, Redundancy–free

Prioritization