Systems Analysis and Synthesis

10.2. Control Systems

In the previous section, we saw that random inputs can cause a system to exhibit complex behaviour, but in Section  3.7, we suggested that systems like pendulums and aircraft can show interesting autonomous behaviour even in the absence of external input. When they interact with their environment, they can behave almost unintelligibly. The NUTS Academic Records System doesn’t offer us a handy example of this kind, so we consider here the dynamic behaviour of a simple stock control system.

The senior management of Transmute Ltd has realised that its existing computer system, which keeps track of stocks of raw materials and finished goods, has all the information it needs to decide how many units of finished goods to manufacture ...