The Soviet Union simply required more energy to maintain itself than could be generated internally or imported. With these definitions and examples in mind, we can see why general solutions to educational problems do not work. Each educational system is composed of a unique set of elements arranged in a unique constellation of relationships. Furthermore, the relationships among elements, subsystems, and supra-systems are continually changing in search of equilibrium while avoiding entropy. Open Systems Social systems such as a school are generally regarded as open systems.
Energy is transformed, and something new is produced.
A product is exported into the environment. The system exhibits differentiation, a tendency toward increased complexity through specialization. A system's hierarchy refers to the number of levels within the system. Each successively higher level of the hierarchy encompasses all of the processes at each lower level and is increasingly complex as the number of elements and the relationship among elements increases. As the number of elements, or subsystems, increases linearly, the number of relationships increases exponentially.