Feedback Systems
Chapter One
Introduction
Feedback is a central feature of life. The process of feedback governs how we grow, respond to stress and
challenge, and regulate factors such as body temperature, blood pressure and cholesterol level. The mechanisms
operate at every level, from the interaction of proteins in cells to the interaction of organisms in complex
ecologies.
M. B. Hoagland and B. Dodson, The Way Life Works, 1995 [99].
In this chapter we provide an introduction to the basic concept of feedback and the related engineering
discipline of control. We focus on both historical and current examples, with the intention of providing the
context for current tools in feedback and control. Much of the material in this chapter is adapted from, and the
authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Roger Brockett and Gunter Stein to portions of this chapter.
1.1 What Is Feedback?
A dynamical system is a system whose behavior changes over time, often in response ... read full excerpt from Feedback Systems: An Introduction for Scientists and Engineers ebook
