Physical Systems (PS)
Every physical system is contained within, and contains, other PS. The PS that contains all other PS is called “the universe.” An example of a PS is a pond, cat or wheel barrel. Every individual living thing, including a whole eco system, is a PS. There is a fine line between physical objects and systems. Generally, the more static an item seems to be, the more likely it is to be called an object. A baseball is generally considered an object, but at the molecular level is seen as a system. Conversely, a pond is generally considered a system, but if viewed macroscopically, as from a helicopter, it looks like an object.
There are two kinds of physical systems: physical systems created of, or occurring from PS (PP) and PS created of, or occurring from conceptual systems (PC). A pond or cat is a PP and a wheel barrel or baseball is a PC. PP are often thought of as “natural” while PC are considered to be “man made” or “artificial.”
Physical objects and systems can only be defined relative to other PS and objects (and ultimately the universe itself). To say that there is a pond system is to say that the pond is some how distinguishable from something else, such as the ground or planet. It is easier for a human to see a baseball as a separate physical entity than a pond because the baseball is closer to the size of a human and its boundaries are more defined than the ponds. To the other extreme, it is even harder for a human to see an ocean as a single physical entity than a pond.
Physical systems are hard to define and some schools of thought (such as: Zen, Taoism and Buddhism) even consider such definitions to be purely conceptual. All PS in the universe are interconnected. “Quantum inseparability” refers to an everlasting, boundless connection that sub atomic particles have with each other after they interact. In 1964, John Stewart Bell, a famous quantum physicist, created the ultimate experiment to test quantum inseparability. “In 1970, John Clauser and Stuart Freedman carried out Bell’s experiment in Berkley, confirming quantum inseparability” (Herbert, 181). Thus, it is a scientific fact that the universe is inherently inseparable, implying that no physical object or system can ever be fully isolated from the universe.
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