Environment

An environment is a complexof external factors. It acts on a systemand determines its course and form of existence. An environment may be thought of as a superset, of which the given system is a subset. An environment may have one or more parameters, physical or otherwise. The environment of a given system must interact with that system in order for it to sustain and develop.

Generally, the environment or milieu of some objector actionconsists of the substances, circumstances, objects, or conditions by which it is surrounded or in which it occurs. (Although the two terms are usually synonyms, some sciencesprefer the less common milieu to avoid confusion with the more wider-known meanings of environment in ecology, politics, and sociology).

Either word may be used with specialized meaning in various contexts.

Computer science and informatics

• In computer science, the term generally means data, processes or devices which, although not explicitly named as parameters of a computation, may nevertheless affect its outcome.
  • In functional programming, lambda calculus, and programming languages, it usually means identifiers that are defined outside a given functionbut can be used in it. In other words, everything with global or otherwise non-local scopeto that function.
  • In certain operating systemslike Unix, DOS, and Microsoft Windows, the environment is a set of environment variablesin the form of var=value used by applications and libraries to affect default preferences.
  • More generally, it may also mean the hardware and operating system on which a program is executed; see system platform.

Liberal arts and social science

• In non-technical contexts, such as politics, it often refers to the natural environment, that part of the natural worldthat is deemed valuable or important by human beings, for any reason. See natural environment.
• In literature, history, and sociology, it is the culturethat an individuallives or was educated in, and the people and institutions with whom he interacts. See social environment.
• In fiction, especially science fictionand fantasyit can refer to any fictional universeor setting in which different stories are set. Thus the Star Warssagas are all in one milieu while the various Star Trekseries, movies, and books are in different milieus. This meaning is also relevant to fantasy roleplaying games. See fictional universe, constructed worldand fantasy world.
• In any kind of organization or enterprise, it may also refer to the social and psychological conditions that are felt by its members. See work environment.
• In any kind of meeting or congress, it may signify the prevailing mood or preferences of the participants.

Life science

• In biology, environment may be defined as the complex of climatic, biotic, socialand edaphicfactors that acts upon an organism and determines its form and survival. It, therefore, includes everything that may directly affect the metabolism or behavior of a living organism or species, including light, air, water, soil, and other living beings. See natural environmentand natural selection.
• In architecture, ergonomy, and work safety, it is the ensemble of elements of a room or building that affect the well-being and efficiency of its occupants—including dimensions and arrangement of living spaces and furniture, light, ventilation, temperature, noise, etc. It may also refer to the collection of built structures. See built environment.
• See geographyfor a subject that is a studyof the environment. (Terms like SOSE (Studies of Society & the Environment) not only refer to environmental studies, but also social sciences.)
• In psychology, environmentalism is the theory that environment (in the general and social sense) plays a greater role than heredityin determining an individual's development. More significantly, the environment is an important factor in many psychological theories.

Natural environment

• Natural environmentis used, for example in environmental scienceand environmentalism, to refer to ecological systems relatively unaffected by humanactivity.

Physical science

• In thermodynamics, it refers to any objects that are not part of the system under study, and may receive or provide heatto it; see surroundings (thermodynamics).
• In chemistryand biochemistry, it is the chemical nature of a solution in which a reactiontakes place, chiefly its pH(i.e. whether it is acidicor alkaline).
• In metallurgyand ceramics, it often refers to the oxidizingor reductivecharacter of the gasesor flamesprevailing during some high-temperature process.bn:??????

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It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environment Wikipedia article Environment.