2

System models

2.1 Introduction

Suppose we have a control system for the temperature in a room. How will the temperature react when the thermostat has its set value increased from, say, 20°C to 22°C? In order to determine how the output of a control system will react to different inputs, we need a mathematical model of the system so that we have an equation describing how the output of the system is related to its input.

Thus, in the case of an amplifier system (Figure 2.1) we might be able to use the simple relationship that the output is always 10 times the input. If we have an input of a 1 V signal we can calculate that the output will be 10 V. This is a simple model of a system where the input is just multiplied by a gain of 10 in order ...

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