ABSTRACT
This chapter presents some basic aspects of mathematical models of dynamic systems that one encounters in the real world. It describes three of the commonly used mathematical models for nonlinear systems: nonlinear differential or difference equations, Volterra series and Hammerstein model. The chapter discusses various types of models: hardware models like scaled models of aerospace vehicles for wind tunnel testing; software expressions or algorithms; conceptual or phenomenological models; and symbolic models like maps, charts and pictures, for robotics and security systems. Mathematical modelling is a very interesting and fascinating field of research encompassing both deterministic and stochastic systems. Digital signal processing is the area of engineering that deals with signals from physical processes, and it has made definite strides in other areas in science, economics and business, and environmental data analyses. Mathematical models to understand and analyse the system characteristics often include parameters which describe the stability and control behaviour of the system.
