Management Engineering

The course is basically divided into three parts, each one corresponding to about 30 hours of frontal lessons. 1) Some methodologies for the construction of dynamic models of phenomena of interest in Management Engineering are initially provided. The phenomena considered are those in which there are exchanges or flows of resources (goods or services), phenomena with a probabilistic nature evolving because of random events, and phenomena that can be described through cause-and-effect relations. The dynamic models considered are described by systems of linear differential and difference equations. 2) The properties and the dynamic behavior of the models introduced in the first part of the course are then analyzed. The analysis includes the study of natural modes, free evolution, forced response, long-term behavior, and stability. The methodology to approximate non-linear dynamic models by means of suitable linear models is then described. 3) Some tools for the design of control laws are finally provided. The feedback control scheme is described and the properties of the response and its sensitivity to disturbances are analyzed. Proportional and proportional-integral controllers are then studied.

The following are the course prerequisites: 1) Some basic notions of linear algebra, such as: - linear space, vectors, and linear operations between vectors; - linear dependence and independence between vectors; - applications between linear spaces; - matrices and operations between matrices; - rank of a matrix; - determinant of a square matrix; - calculation of the inverse of a square matrix; - characteristic polynomial of square matrices; - eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a square matrix. 2) - some basic notions of geometry, such as: - lines and planes in the Cartesian space; 3) some basic notions of analysis, such as: - successions and functions; - sequences and series; - the concept of limit, continuity of a function, and its differentiability; - derivatives and integrals of functions.

L. Benvenuti, L. Farina, A. De Santis, Sistemi dinamici: modellistica, analisi e controllo. McGraw-Hill (2009)

Teaching includes frontal lessons as the main method. Classroom exercises and three practice lessons (one for each part of the course) are scheduled. In these lessons the students, in small groups, are asked to apply the methodologies acquired for the construction of models, for the analysis of their behavior and for the design of control laws.

Classroom attendance is not mandatory.

The written test consists of 33 true/false questions structured in 11 different cognitive areas and the score derives from the exact, wrong, or omitted answers.

Frontal and distance teaching with video recording.