ABSTRACT
System Dynamics is the study of physical mechanisms and devices that exhibit dynamic behavior that can be characterized through the use of mathematical models for the purposes of analysis, design, and automation. It is a discipline that draws on a variety of subjects in order to examine whole mechanisms, devices, and physical phenomena from a “systems” perspective. A system is composed of more basic elements that function together to form the whole. The basic components of that system can be described by various mathematical models or constitutive relations. In order to understand the whole, we must understand how the more basic elements interface and interact. Thus far in your engineering studies, you have learned separately a variety of subjects that are brought to bear together and expanded upon in System Dynamics. Here are a series of questions to consider:
B What aspects of the system must you consider?
