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The use of closed systems has both a practical and therotical value. Much of the discussion and derivation of thermodynamics uses this concept.
Another way of defining a closed system is to specify what matter is part of the closed system. This uniquely defines such a system even if the boundaries of the system become very distorted. However, it must be remembered that inside a system, matter is free to be transported from one part of the system to another, therefore one cannot physically split a closed system and still maintain that it is one system, i.e. it must be contiguious.
Due to the alternate method of defining a closed system, one advantage of a closed system is that the in dealing with it, the precise geometrical boundaries need not be specified.