# Isolated system
## Links (Wikipedia order)
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## From the Real GENERATIVE library
*Isolated system — placed from the Real G.E.N.E.R.A.T.I.V.E. course library (Energy room). Source: Wikimedia Commons (via Wikipedia article media). [Details & license](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diagram_Systems.svg).*
> In physical science, an isolated system is either of the following: ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isolated_system))
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> Summary stub · part of [[System]] · [Wikipedia source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isolated_system)
## Summary
An isolated system is a fundamental concept in physical [[Science|science]] referring to a system that does not exchange matter or [[Energy|energy]] with its surroundings. This definition is central to [[Thermodynamics|thermodynamics]] and classical mechanics: a truly isolated system is subject only to internal forces and retains constant total energy and momentum. While perfect isolation is impossible in nature (no boundary is perfectly impermeable to all influences), the idealization is essential for understanding system behavior—it allows physicists to apply conservation laws with certainty and to predict a system's future state from knowledge of its initial state. Isolated systems serve as a reference model against which real, open systems are compared and understood.
## Key points
- An isolated system exchanges neither matter nor energy with its environment
- Conservation laws (energy, momentum, angular momentum) apply rigorously to isolated systems
- No truly isolated system exists in nature; the concept is an idealization for scientific analysis
- The degree to which a real system approximates isolation determines how well conservation laws predict its behavior
- Forms the theoretical basis for understanding [[Thermodynamic_equilibrium|thermodynamic equilibrium]] and the [[Evolution|evolution]] of closed physical systems
## Relation to System
Isolated systems are a foundational concept in [[Systems_thinking|systems thinking]] because they define the boundary and scope of a system. Understanding what is and is not part of a system—what is "inside" and what is "outside"—is essential to systems analysis. The isolated system provides the simplest, most rigorous context for studying [[System_dynamics|system dynamics]] under well-defined conditions.
## Sources
- [Isolated system — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isolated_system)
Back to [[System]]
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## Wikipedia : Wikitube
**Strict pair:** [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isolated_system) : [Wikitube](https://en.wikitube.io/wiki/Isolated_system)
## Previous hub tags
Tree parent: [[Self-organization]].
Legacy hubs: none.
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*Sources: 1 legacy note. Minted wave 1, 2026-07-30 (v1.6 order).*