Look at what is happening inside the machine. It has many parts, like moving marbles, cogs and tracks, all working together. We call these parts that connect to each other to make up a system “nodes.” Understanding the nodes allows us to better understand the system. When all the nodes of the machine system work together, we hear beautiful music. Its creator understands it – watch how he can manipulate what it does. It looks complex to us, but as we see different parts in action and how they connect we can start to understand the whole system.
Systems can have both positive and negative effects. But we don’t only need to fix negative effects. Systems making positive changes can still be made better. This machine can still be improved, even if the music is already pleasing to listen to.
The Marble Machine creator used knowledge of engineering to make music. Engineers often need to think about systems in their work to make new solutions to sustainability problems, too.