Systems Thinking and Systems Modelling

Winter Semester 2014

Practice questions Bank 1
1. (From Kreyszig, Advanced Engineering Mathematics) Heating and cooling of a
building: Heating and cooling of a building can be modeled by the ODE
T

(t) = k
1
(T(t) T
a
) k
2
(T(t) T
w
) + P
where T(t) is the temperature in the building at time t, T
a
the outside temperature,
T
w
the desired temperature in the building, and P the rate of increase of T due to
machines and people in the building, and k
1
and k
2
are constants.
Draw the stock-ow diagram for the above system, and describe the qualitative
behaviour of the dynamics.
Solve this ODE, assuming P = constant, T
w
= constant and T
a
varying
sinusoidally over 24 hours, say, T
a
= A C cos (2/24)t. Discuss the effect
of each term of the equation on the solution.
2. (From Kreyszig, Advanced Engineering Mathematics) Extinction vs. unlimited
growth: If in a population the death rate is proportional to the population, and the
birth rate is proportional to the chance encounters of meeting mates for reproduction,
what will the model be?
Draw the stock-ow diagram for this population dynamics. Without solving,
using the stock-ow diagram, nd out what will eventually happen to (i) small
initial population, (ii) to a large one.
Then solve the model.
3. Give the examples of isomorphism of concepts across different systems.
4. (Nise, Control Systems Engineering) We can build a control system that will automat-
ically adjust a motorcycles radio volume as the noise generated by the motorcycle
changes. The noise generated by the motorcycle increases with speed. As the noise
increases, the system increases the volume of the radio. Assume that the amount of
noise can be represented by a voltage generated by the speedometer cable, and the
volume of the radio is controlled by a dc voltage.
If the dc voltage represents the desired volume disturbed by the motorcycle noise,
draw the stock-ow diagram (functional block diagram) of the automatic volume
control system, showing the input transducer, the volume control circuit, and the
speed transducer as stocks. Also show the following signals: the desired volume as
an input, the actual volume as an output, and voltages representing speed, desired
volume, and actual volume.
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5. (Nise, Control Systems Engineering) The human eye has a biological control system
that varies the pupil diameter to maintain constant light intensity to the retina. As
the light intensity increases, the optical nerve sends a signal to the brain, which
commands internal eye muscles to decrease the pupils eye diameter. When the light
intensity decreases, the pupil diameter increases.
Draw a stock-ow diagram (functional block diagram) of the light-pupil system
indicating the input, output, and intermediate signals, etc.
6. (Nise, Control Systems Engineering) The Gompertz growth model is commonly
used to model tumor cell growth. Let v(t) be the tumors volume, then
dv(t)
dt
= e
t
v(t)
where and are two appropriate constants.
(a) Solve the above ODE for a initial condition v(0) = v
0
, where v
0
is the initial
tumor volume.
(b) This model takes into account the fact that when nutrients and oxygen are
scarce at the tumors core, its growth is impaired. Find the nal predicted
tumor volume (let t ). Does this system shows the nality or equinality
behaviour?
(c) For a specic mouse tumor, it was experimentally found that = 2.5 days,
= 0.1 days with v
0
= 50 10
3
mm
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. Use any method available to make a
plot of v(t) vs. t.
(d) Check the result obtained in Part (6b) with the results from the graph from
Part (6c).
7. Solve the following Bernoulli equation, known as the logistic equation (or Verhulst
equation):
y

= Ay By
2
.
This logistic equation plays an important role in population dynamics. Describe
the dynamics of the system governed by this equation. Does this system shows the
nality or equinality behaviour?
8. Explain what is meant by the statement Systems Science is focused on the system
as a whole. State what characteristics of a system you think this statement implies,
and how they apply to the systems science.
9. For the following systems, which characteristics would you attribute to the system
as a whole rather than to a collection of its parts? Explain why.
(a) Airplane
(b) Computer
(c) Pressure cooker
(d) Engineering education at IIT
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(e) Bank
(f) Library
10. Advances in technology often lead to the development of a new or improved system
by exploiting an advantage not possessed by its predecessor. Give examples of such
three new/improved systems and the technological advancements that they employ.
11. Consider an equilateral triangle of side length 1, as shown in the left most gure of
Fig. 1. Connect the midpoints of each sides to form a smaller equilateral triangle
inside it, and take out this smaller triangle. As a result, we have 3 equilateral
triangles of side length 1/2, and the resultant object is as shown in the second left
most gure of Fig. 1. Now repeat the same procedure with each of these three
equilateral triangles of side-length 1/2, then we have 9 equilateral triangles of side
length 1/4, as shown in the third left most gure.
Figure 1: Sierpinsky triangle
The geometric object obtained by repeating this procedure innitely is known as the
Sierpinsky triangle. What are the emergent properties of this triangle?
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