Continuous Models Using Ordinary Differential Equations

Continuous models are systems whose inputs and outputs are capable of changing at any instant of time. A continuous model consists of a dependent continuous variable, varying with some other independent continuous variables. We use a first order ordinary differential equation (or a system of first order ordinary differential equations) to model a continuous system, if we have some information or assumption about the rate of change of the dependent variable(s) with respect to the independent variable(s). The continuous system is modeled with a partial differential equation, if the dependent variable depends on more than one independent variables.