Week 03
Block Diagrams and Signal Flow
I follow the saved course materials and calculations from modeling through stability, root locus, and frequency response.
What I connect in this unit
Series blocks multiply and parallel paths add, whereas a feedback loop also depends on the return-path sign. Block reduction simplifies nested structures, and Mason's gain formula provides an independent route through a signal-flow graph.
Concept map
- Series and parallel connections
- Feedback loops
- Block reduction
- Mason gain formula
Technical anchor
Use Gcl=G/(1+GH) as the negative-feedback reference. In a signal-flow graph, mark each forward-path gain and the non-touching loop products that form Mason's determinant.
How I review it
When moving a summing or pickoff point, verify that signal scaling is preserved, then compare the numerator and denominator obtained by block reduction and Mason's formula.
Connection to the full course
Unit 3 of 12. Unit numbers organize the concepts found in the materials and do not reproduce an attendance schedule.