Any good book that can teach System Dynamics? (details inside)

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around finding suitable books for learning system dynamics, particularly in the context of a university course. Participants share their experiences and suggest resources that cover various topics such as linear time invariant systems, differential equations, and Laplace transforms.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a need for books that cover specific topics taught in their system dynamics course, indicating a struggle with the material.
  • Another participant suggests searching the university library for resources aligned with the professor's course materials and provides links to two books, although they note the field is broad and their own knowledge has faded.
  • A third participant appreciates the suggested books but finds one of them too advanced and more theoretical than practical, expressing a preference for resources that include familiar topics such as initial value problems and mechanical systems.
  • A later reply proposes books by Katsuhiko Ogata and mentions "Linear System Theory and Design" by Chi-Tsong Chen, noting that the latter focuses on the state space approach, which may not align with all students' needs.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the best resources, as opinions vary on the appropriateness of the suggested books for second-year engineering students. There is acknowledgment of differing levels of complexity and focus among the recommended texts.

Contextual Notes

Some participants highlight the challenge of finding materials that match the course's practical applications versus theoretical depth, indicating a potential mismatch between available resources and student needs.

mohdhm
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Hey guys,

I need a book that can teach me system dynamics, here is what they teach in the course:

Linear time invariant system, impulse response function, operator, convolution, system characterization, solution of linear ordinary differential equations, Laplace transform and its applications, transfer function, frequency response, matrix diagonalization, solution to system of linear differential equations.

I passed the course with 54% and next year a lot of other courses are going to build on it. So unless i want to fail around 4 courses i must try and better understand the material. The problem last term was that a lot of the material came directly from his notes so there was nothing else to learn from.

I'd give you examples of old midterms but i really feel uncomfortable posting the prof's material online like this. But if you need clarification on what types of questions, please send me a PM and i will supply you with the proper info.
 
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Thanks emiltr, the books seem pretty good. though the second link seems pretty scary. It is more like a proofy high level math course rather than an engineering course with applications. I've looked through the table of contents and there is nothing that strikes me as familiar . Let's see.. we covered initial value problems, first and second order differential equations. Laplace transforms, inverse laplace transofrms. linear time invariant systems. step response of the system... and we were given lots of mechanical systems to solve invloving springs, circuits... etc. As long as those are in there than that's very good! Also, the difficulity was based on a 2nd year course.
 
Those two books are probably way too advance for typical 2nd year engineering students. Maybe you should try those written by Katsuhiko Ogata. Another really good one is Linear System Theory and Design by Chi-Tsong Chen, but it is mainly focused on the state space approach.
 

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