Newton’s 3rd Law and Systems Thinking are two of the most important concepts every engineer needs to understand deeply. I hear you saying, “Come on, Ayaz, which engineer does not know about Newton’s 3rd Law?”

My response? Quite a lot.

I am not talking about memorizing the formula and applying it in a calculation. I am talking about truly understanding its philosophy. It is a philosophy that explains the nature of interrelated, complex systems. There is no absolute win in this world. We live in a complex reality where everything, literally everything, is connected.

Do you remember the concept of the Butterfly Effect? It is the idea that a small change in one place, like a butterfly flapping its wings in the Savanna, can eventually cause a tornado somewhere else. It illustrates that a change in one part of a system inevitably causes a change in another part. Good engineering is to be aware of these impacts and manage them.

Engineering works the same way. You push on one parameter, and another one reacts.

In the world of reliability and maintainability, we have a concept called RAM (Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability) analysis. It fits perfectly into the systems thinking mindset because it forces us to find a reasonable balance between competing demands.

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