Glossary

Machine

Deutsch: Maschine / Español: Máquina / Português: Máquina / Français: Machine / Italiano: Macchina
A machine is a physical device/tool, which is performing a specified job.

A machine

  • is man made,
  • needs energy (mechanical, chemical, electrical)
  • are made for a specific purpose,
  • has moving parts (historically, these parts can be seen. Today, some parts like data streams or electrical signals might be invisible)
  • is controlled by a human. This control might be direct or indirect by a program

Examples

Examples for not beeing a machine

  • the sun
  • other humans

Uncertain

  • A ship (too many independent single machines)
  • the telephone network/internet (too many independent single machines)
  • robots (Today (2014), they still might be called a machine, but the more they are learning from the environment and getting independent, the more it will be hard to consider them as machines)

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