Systems Thinking: In and Out Game (Stocks and Flows Diagrams)

What is a stock?

• an fixed amount

• an amount that can change

• something that enters

• something that leaves

What is a flow

• a fixed amount

• an amount that can change

• something that enters or leaves

• a vibe

what is not an example of a stock?

• atmospheric CO2

• oceanic CO2

• breathing

• forest

what makes a stock change?

• inflows

• outflows

• nothing—stocks are constant

• inflows and outflows

how can we make the behavior over time graph of the stock steeper? (two answers)

• decrease the inflow

• decrease the outflow

• increase the inflow

• increase the outflow

what happens when an outflow is larger than the inflow?

• the stock goes up

• the stock goes down

• the inflow goes down

• the outflow goes down

what happens when the outflow matches the inflow?

• the graph of the stock goes up

• the graph of the stock remains the same

• the graph of the stock goes down

• the graph goes to zero

consider human population through time: the stock is

• birth rate

• humans currently alive

• death rate

• all humans who ever lived

consider human population through time: the inflow is

• birth rate

• humans currently alive

• death rate

• all humans who ever lived

consider human population through time: the outflow is

• birth rate

• humans currently alive

• death rate

• all humans who ever lived