|
Summary Course Description:
This course introduces several analytical and computational aspects of system dynamics. The course presents the mathematical foundation necessary for the analysis of any dynamic system, with an emphasis on the generalized state variable approach for describing a system's transient behavior. Specific topics include matrix fundamentals, time and frequency domain simulation methods, transfer functions, and an introduction to control system design. Matlab and Simulink are used extensively throughout the course.
Last Taught: The last time I taught this course was during Spring 2014. Although this was a few years ago, much of the material here is still quite useful -- and all of the Matlab & Simulink demos were reviewed and updated, as needed, in Feb. 2020, so all the demos still work great! Enjoy!!!
Course-Related Educational Resources:
This course in System Dynamics was developed to give students with an engineering background an introduction to a variety of methods and simulation tools for the modeling and analysis of any dynamic system. My original interest was to develop a course in Nuclear Reactor Dynamics, but in the late 1980s and early 1990s when I first started this course, we did not have enough students in the Nuclear Programs at UMass-Lowell to continually support such a specialized course. Thus, instead, the course was designed so that any engineering student could benefit, and the course did indeed attract many students from the Mechanical, Nuclear, Energy, and Electrical Engineering fields over the years. Thus, I would encourage any engineering student with an interest in the modeling and analysis of physical systems to take a look -- I expect that you might find something of interest in the resource materials available below...
No formal text was used for this course -- instead, a set of home-grown lecture notes evolved after several years of teaching this course, and these notes, along with a set of Matlab & Simulink demos, were used as the primary learning materials for the course. However, the students were also encouraged to use one of the many great "Dynamics Systems" or "Modern Control Engineering" texts that are avaiable as a base reference for this course.
The course resources available below include some formal lecture notes, several Matlab and Simulink examples, and the specific HWs and exams from Spring 2014. Hopefully you will find some of these materials useful in your studies of this subject! Enjoy...
Resource List:
Formal Lecture Notes
Matlab and Simulink Demos
Spring 2014 HW Assignments (with Solutions) and Exams
Last updated by Prof. John R. White (March 2020)
Last | Top | Next
|
