Do they mean the same? No! Something complex doesn ??™ t have to be
complicated. The following defi nition stems from [28].
Complexity refers to the number and type of relationships between elements
in a system.
Intricacy refers to the number of different elements.
Based on this defi nition, many systems are complex, while hybrid systems
are additionally complicated, or intricated. That ??™ s the core challenge in systems
engineering.
1.2.1 What Is Systems Engineering?
You ??™ ve surely heard of a discipline called systems engineering. But even if you
haven ??™ t, the term will probably ring a bell. Both systems and engineering are
well-known general terms. Hearing them combined, everybody has a certain idea
of what this discipline is all about. The trouble is that these ideas are often very
different.
2 An engineer, a chemist, and an IT guy are in a car driving across the desert. All of a sudden the car
stops, and the three of them start quarreling about what might have been the cause of failure. Says
the chemist: ??? Got to be an unexpected entropy increase in the engine compartment! ??? The engineer:
??? Crap! Either the V-belt is broken or the ignition distributor is gone.
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