An Example of a Single-component System
Consider a non-repairable component with a constant failure rate (λ). The component has two states: good and failed. The states of the system are equivalent to the states of the component. Initially, assume that the component is good. The system reaches the failed state when the component fails. Once the system reaches a failed state, it will remain there forever because no events occur in the failed state. The state transition diagram of this single-component system can be represented as shown in Figure 8-1.
 | Because state transition diagrams are more visual than mathematical matrix representations, they are much easier to interpret. However, for large systems, they can become unmanageable and difficult to analyse. |
A state transition diagram is similar to a flow diagram representation that would be used in system analysis. It graphically represents the various system states and the rates associated with the transitions between the system states. Because a direction is associated with a transition, a state transition diagram can be viewed as a directed graph.