The use of block diagrams is very useful in engineering analysis and design. Block diagrams decompose a complex system into managable modules, each of which can be viewed alone, and the blocks can be organised in a hierachy to realise the complete system. Your modular HiFi sound system is a practical example, the blocks corresponding to the CD player, tuner, amplifier, tape deck and speakers. Given a description or model for each module, the entire system can be understood.
In this chapter we take a look at some aspects of modelling blocks or modules built from electric circuits, in particular, transfer functions and frequency response. These provide useful descriptions. The next chapter on two port networks considers other aspects of modelling.
ANU Engineering - ENGN2211