12.

11 H I G H E R - O R D E R C I R C U I T S *
To close this chapter, we briefly consider the analysis of circuits having an order
higher than two. The important message here is that the methods of analysis
developed earlier in this chapter for second-order circuits are perfectly applica-
ble to the analysis of higher-order circuits. We will illustrate this through the
analysis of the circuit shown in Figure 12.63. Since the circuit has two inde-
pendent capacitors and two independent inductors, it is a fourth-order circuit.
Despite this, it readily submits to both a node analysis with the node voltages
as the primary unknowns, and a state-variable analysis with the states as the
primary unknowns.
Consider first the node analysis of the circuit shown in Figure 12.63, carried
out using v1 and v2 and as the two unknown node voltages. To begin, we write
KCL at Nodes #1 and #2 in terms of these voltages. This yields
 t
dv1 (t) 1 1
C1 + (v1 (t) − v2 (t)) + (v1 (t̃) − vIN (t̃))dt̃ = 0 (12.288)
dt R L1 −∞

for Node #1, and

   t
dv2 (t) dvIN (t) 1 1
C2 − + (v2 (t)−v1 (t))+ v2 (t̃)dt̃−iIN = 0 (12.289)
dt dt R L2 −∞

for Node #2. To treat these equations simultaneously, we use Equa-

tion 12.288 to determine v2 in terms of v1 , and then substitute the result

vIN

iL1
+
L1 vC2 C2
-
Node 1 Node 2
+ F I G U R E 12.63 A fourth-order
vIN
- v1 v2 circuit.
R iL2
+
vC1 C1 iIN
L2
-

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 into Equation 12.289. This yields
 t
dv1 (t) R
v2 (t) = RC1 + v1 (t) + (v1 (t̃) − vIN (t)(t̃))dt̃ (12.290)
dt L1 −∞

   
d4 v1 (t) 1 1 d3 v1 (t) 1 1 d2 v1 (t)
+ + + +
dt4 RC1 RC2 dt3 L1 C 1 L2 C2 dt2
   
1 1 dv1 (t) 1
+ + + v1 (t) =
RC1 L2 C2 RC2 L1 C1 dt L1 C 1 L2 C2
     
1 d3 vIN (t) 1 d2 vIN (t) 1 dvIN (t)
+ + +
RC1 dt3 L1 C1 dt2 RC2 L1 C1 dt
   
1 1 d2 iIN (t)
vIN (t) + .
L1 C1 L2 C 2 RC1 C2 dt

(12.291)

Note that in deriving Equation 12.291 we differentiated Equation 12.289 twice

and divided it by RC1 C2 prior to the substitution of Equation 12.290. Finally,
to complete the node analysis, we solve Equation 12.291 for v1 , substitute the
result into Equation 12.290 to determine v2 , and then use the two node voltages
to determine any other branch variables of interest. For brevity, however, we
will not carry out these remaining steps. Instead, we note that to do so requires
initial conditions for v1 , and its first, second, and third derivatives. Most likely,
this information will be determined from the state variables specified at the
initial time, which takes additional work.
Consider next a state-variable analysis of the circuit shown in Figure 12.63.
To carry out this analysis we determine the state equation for each capacitor
and inductor. This yields,

dvC1 (t) 1
C1 = iC1 (t) = (vIN (t) − vC1 (t) − vC2 (t)) + iL1 (t) (12.292)
dt R
dvC2 (t) 1
C2 = iC2 (t) = (vIN (t) − vC1 (t) − vC2 (t)) + iL2 (t) − iIN (t) (12.293)
dt R
diL1 (t)
L1 = vL1 (t) = vIN (t) − vC1 (t) (12.294)
dt
diL2 (t)
L2 = vL2 (t) = vIN (t) − vC2 (t). (12.295)
dt

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These equations may be summarized in state-space form as
   1 1 1
 
vC1 (t) − − 0 vC1 (t)
RC1 RC1 C1
    
 v (t)   − 1 − 1 0 1   v (t) 
d  C2     C2 
= RC2 RC2 C2 
dt  iL1 (t) 
 
  −1 0 0 0   
  iL1 (t) 
   L1  
iL2 (t) 0 −1 0 0 iL2 (t)
L2

 1

0
RC1
  
 1 1 
  vIN (t)
+ 
RC2 C2
 . (12.296)

1
0 
 iIN (t)
 L1 
1
0
L2

Finally, to complete the state-variable analysis, we solve Equation 12.296 for the
states, and then use them to determine any other branch variables of interest.
For brevity, however, we will not carry out these remaining steps. Instead, we
note that to do so requires an initial condition for each state.
To close this section, it is again worth mentioning that both analyses predict
the same behavior for the circuit shown in Figure 12.63. The only difference
is that they do so in terms of different sets of variables, and through differ-
ent mathematical mechanics. Thus, the important message here is that both
analyses are applicable to higher-order systems.

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