Branislav Kisacanin

Gyan C. Agarwal

Anyone seeking a gentle introduction to the methods of modern control theory and engineering, written at the level of a first-year graduate course, should consider this book seriously. It contains: A generous historical overview of automatic control, from Ancient Greece to the 1970s, when this discipline matured into an essential field for electrical, mechanical, aerospace, chemical, and biomedical engineers, as well as mathematicians, and more recently, computer scientists; A balanced presentation of the relevant theory: the main state-space methods for description, analysis, and design of linear control systems are derived, without overwhelming theoretical arguments; Over 250 solved and exercise problems for both continuous- and discrete-time systems, often including MATLAB simulations; and Appendixes on MATLAB, advanced matrix theory, and the history of mathematical tools such as differential calculus, transform methods, and linear algebra. Another noteworthy feature is the frequent use of an inverted pendulum on a cart to illustrate the most important concepts of automatic control, such as: Linearization and discretization; Stability, controllability, and observability; State feedback, controller design, and optimal control; and Observer design, reduced order observers, and Kalman filtering. Most of the problems are given with solutions or MATLAB simulations. Whether the book is used as a textbook or as a self-study guide, the knowledge gained from it will be an excellent platform for students and practising engineers to explore further the recent developments and applications of control theory.

With solved problems and MATLAB examples

Linear Control Systems

Vladimir Pavlovic

Thomas S. Huang

200Ts Vision of Vision One of my formative childhood experiences was in 1968 stepping into the Uptown Theater on Connecticut Avenue in Washington, DC, one of the few movie theaters nationwide that projected in large-screen cinerama. I was there at the urging of a friend, who said I simply must see the remarkable film whose run had started the previous week. "You won't understand it," he said, "but that doesn't matter. " All I knew was that the film was about science fiction and had great special eflPects. So I sat in the front row of the balcony, munched my popcorn, sat back, and experienced what was widely touted as "the ultimate trip:" 2001: A Space Odyssey. My friend was right: I didn't understand it. . . but in some senses that didn't matter. (Even today, after seeing the film 40 times, I continue to discover its many subtle secrets. ) I just had the sense that I had experienced a creation of the highest aesthetic order: unique, fresh, awe inspiring. Here was a film so distinctive that the first half hour had no words whatsoever; the last half hour had no words either; and nearly all the words in between were banal and irrelevant to the plot - quips about security through Voiceprint identification, how to make a phonecall from a space station, government pension plans, and so on.

Branislav Kisacanin

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