dr. khosrow farahbakhsh school of engineering university of guelph a system’s approach to water...
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Dr. Khosrow FarahbakhshSchool of EngineeringUniversity of Guelph
A SYSTEM’S APPROACH TO WATER AND WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT
Facts or Fiction?•We make many assumptions about the world around us• The whole is the sum of its parts
• Small forces have small impacts, large forces have large impacts
• The role of science is to help us predict outcomes
• Every problem has one right answer
• Infections are caused by the domination of infectious organisms
• Adding chlorine in the water distribution system prevents the formation of a biofilm and minimizes the growth of pathogens
The Web of Assumptions• We live in a world of assumptions
• These assumptions tend to dictate our decisions and actions
• A collection of assumptions about the world is called a paradigm
• Once the paradigm is fixed, the outcomes are, more or less, predetermined
• To change the way we live (our world) we must then change our paradigm
• Birth of a paradigm often follows the death of the old paradigm
Birth of a New Scientific Paradigm • Quantum Mechanics• There are always multiple possibilities• Relationships are more important than objects
• Thermodynamics• Quality is more important than quantity• Quantity is conserved, but quality always degrades (2nd Law)
• Chaos• Non-linearity and the butterfly effect• Irregularities are norm rather than exception
• Complexity• All systems are in the state of in-equilibrium and are self-organizing• Dissipation is the main mode of self-organization
• System’s thinking• All the above• The whole is much greater than the sum of its component parts