The ultimate objective of any controls text is to teach students how to achieve the best possible design. In this new text, Wolovich integrates classical and modern techniques, systematically develops all the background material necessary to achieve the best possible design, and stresses flexibility to attain this goal. All the relevant controls topics are presented in a clear pedagogical sequence beginning with the equivalence of system descriptions, followed by coverage of performance goals and tests, and concluding with some new and innovative design methods for achieving the goals independent of the particular system description.

1. Introduction and Historical Perspective; Part I: Dynamical System Representations; 2. Differential Operator and State-Space Models; 3. The Transfer Function/Matrix; 4. Dynamical Response; Part II: Performance Goals and Tests; 5. General Control and Nominal Stability; 6. Loop Goals; 7. Response Goals; Part III: Compensation; 8. Classical Control Techniques; 9. Modern Control Techniques; Appendix A. Matrix/Vector Algebra; Appendix B. Laplace Transforms and Polynomial Algebra; References; Index

William A. WolovichBrown University