A picture is worth a thousand words: energy systems language and simulation

Abstract A historical perspective of the energy circuit language is given (sometimes called energy circuit language). Beginning with HT Odum’s first energy flow diagrams used explain the general organization of ecosystems and the flows of energy supporting production and ending with diagrams of the universe, the 50 year evolution of the energy systems language are explored. Changes in the language often resulted from technological changes in the “tools” of Odum’s trade (i.e., the use of drawing software on computers) as well as refinements of his theories related to ecological and general systems theory, hierarchical organization, and energy quality. In all the language represents a coscise way of visualizing systems, describing them mathematically, and developing programs for simulating their dynamic behavior.

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