Feedback Control Systems (4th Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Typical Prentice Hall
Review: As is usually the case with Prentice Hall books, you are left puzzled about how to use the information presented in the chapter to solve even the first Practice Problem in each chapter. The chapter uses simple examples, and then expects you to solve more complicated systems without explaining how the concepts can be extended to cover them.

The authors also provide no answers to the practice problems, so to check any of your work you must find someone that knows the correct answer and compare your work with theirs.

It seems every time the author attempts to extend some help by preworking part of a problem they make a typo... With only one simple example as guidance there is no room for typos.

On the plus side, the material in the book is well selected. If you are working on control systems, you will find these topics helpful, so the book does deserve a star, but only one.

I do not recommend this book or its publisher, Prentice Hall; especially to anyone trying to independent study this material.

Rating:
Summary: Very useful as both an introduction and a reference text
Review: Control systems are a difficult subject to cover, but this book does a good job of bringing the novice reader up to speed. This is a very straightforward treatment of an extremely technical field, and while it could hardly be described as gripping reading, Phillips has done a good job of presenting the main concepts clearly and understandably. The book is nicely divided into self-contained sections, allowing undergraduate students to immediately identify those topics relevant to their course. Probably the most useful textbook available to the undergraduate control student.

Rating:
Summary: Undergraduate Student in Electrical Engineering
Review: Why are there no solutions to the presented problems? Most all books I have used, in my 3 years of studying EE, have had the answers to the odd numbered problems. One example within a chapter is not enough for a student to be certain that other, more different, problems can be aproached and solved in the same manner.

If a solutions guide is available, I am more than willing to purchase it. [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Undergraduate Student in Electrical Engineering
Review: Why are there no solutions to the presented problems? Most all books I have used, in my 3 years of studying EE, have had the answers to the odd numbered problems. One example within a chapter is not enough for a student to be certain that other, more different, problems can be aproached and solved in the same manner.

If a solutions guide is available, I am more than willing to purchase it. [e-mail]