Description
System dynamics deals with mathematical modeling and analysis of devices and processes for the purpose of understanding their time-dependent behavior. While other subjects, such as Newtonian dynamics and electrical circuit theory, also deal with time-dependent behavior, system dynamics emphasizes methods for handling applications containing multiple types of components and processes such as electromechanical devices, electrohydraulic devices, and fluid-thermal processes. Because the goal of system dynamics is to understand the time-dependent behavior of a system of interconnected devices and processes as a whole, the modeling and analysis methods used in system dynamics must be properly selected to reveal how the connections between the system elements affect its overall behavior. Because systems of interconnected elements often require a control system towork properly, control system design is a major application area in system dynamics.
TEXT PHILOSOPHY
This text is an introduction to system dynamics and is suitable for such courses commonly found in engineering curricula. It is assumed that the student has a background in elementary differential and integral calculus and college physics (dynamics, mechanics of materials, thermodynamics, and electrical circuits). A previous course in differential equations is desirable but not necessary, as the = required material on differential equations, as well as Laplace transforms and matrices, is developed in the text.
The decision to write a textbook often comes from the author’s desire to improve on available texts. The decisions as to what topics to include and what approach to take emerge from the author’s teaching experiences that give insight as to what is needed for students to master the subject. This text is based on the author’s forty-one years of experience in teaching system dynamics.
This experience shows that typical students in a system dynamics course are not yet comfortable with applying the relevant concepts from earlier courses in dynamics and differential equations. Therefore, this text reviews and reinforces these important topics early on. Students often lack sufficient physical insight to relate the mathematical results to applications. The text therefore uses everyday illustrations of system dynamics to help students to understand the material and its relevance.
If laboratory sessions accompany the system dynamics course, many of the text’s examples can be used as the basis for experiments. The text is also a suitable reference on hardware and on parameter estimation methods.