7.1 INTRODUCTION

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Some engineered systems are intended to be fixed, or static.

Many other systems are designed to be dynamic in behavior or response. These include,

- internal combustion engines

- loadspeakers

- vibration isolators

- car shock absorbers

- missile guidance systems

- tall buildings

We know many relationships for modelling individual properties of mechanism pieces (eg, fricton). These can be combined (lumped) to model more complex systems.

when we develop a lumped model of a system, we can then calculate with a high level of precision, the effects various inputs (forces, motions, torques, etc) will have on the overall system.

As an engineer attempts to design high quality systems, one of the most powerful weapons is a good analytical understanding of the phenomena.