Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 3 sessions / week, 1 hour / session

Purpose of the Course

  1. For students majoring in control and information sciences to become proficient in the techniques of modeling, identifying and controling aerospace systems.
  2. To understand classical control system design.
  3. To understand robustness issues arising in control system analysis and design.
  4. To understand the role of nonlinearities in control systems and to be able to analyze basic nonlinearities using phase-plane and describing function techniques.
  5. To design simple nonlinear (bang/bang) systems in the phase plane.
  6. To understand space applications.
  7. To understand basic nonlinear phenomena, such as jump resonance phenomena.
  8. To understand modeling and identification issues through laboratory activities.

Basic Information

Grading

Grade distribution is: Final 40%, Homework 20%, Midterm 20%, Lab 20%.

Assignments

Homeworks: due in class Wednesdays, to be returned Monday as time permits. No late homeworks accepted. Late homework equals homework given back later than Wednesday 1:05pm.

Prerequisites

Any basic control course or instructor's approval. 16.30 is intended primarily for students who have taken a first course on systems.

Textbooks

Buy at Amazon Van De Vegte, J. Feedback Control Systems. Prentice Hall PTR, 1993. ISBN: 0-13-016379-1.

Buy at Amazon Rohrs, C. E., J. L. Melsa, and D. G. Schultz. Linear Control Systems. McGraw Hill, 1993. ISBN: 0-07-041525-0.

Gelb, A., and W. E. Vander Velde. Multiple-Input Describing Functions and Nonlinear System Design. McGraw Hill, 1968.

Academic Honesty

You can collaborate with others in the class on homework, but only to the extent needed to understand the problem statement, and to decide on a solution method. However, the work that you turn in must be your own. You can consult outside reference material, but a reference must be adequately cited. Collaboration of any sort is not permitted on exams. Violations of any sorts constitutes an act with profound consequences to your future standing in the profession.