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Automatic and remote control. vol. 1, theory, vol. 2, applications and components
Automatlca, Vol. 4, p. 53. Pergamon Preu, 1966. Printed in Great Britain.
BOOK REVIEW Automatic and Remote Control. Vol. 1, Theory, VoL 2, Applications and Components. Edited by Prof. VICTOR BRO|DA. Butterworths, London (1964). £38 for two volumes. THESE two volumes present in full the papers and discussions of the Second Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control, held in Basle, Switzerland 1963. It is not feasible to review individual contributions, but the subjects covered span the vast range of Control and allied fields from very advanced theoretical techniques to the implementation of practical systems in the process industries. The array of contributors includes most of the well-known workers in this field but one also finds many new names. The papers, of necessity, are short and often summarize quite briefly a considerable development of ideas. This I feel can be an advantage rather than a disadvantage. Inclusion of the discussion on each paper gives a sense of vitality and helps to put the papers into a proper perspective. The 1960 IFAC Congress and its subsequent publications left one with the impression that considerable progress had been made towards developing new theories of Stability, Optimal and Adaptive Control and Stochastic Control, but that the potential appfications of these techniques in the control industries were by no means obvious or rewarding. One therefore awaited the 1963 Congress to see if significant progress had been made towards such applications. The volume on Applications and Components indicates that considerable effort has been made, with results that are at least an encouragement for the future. This volume also gives an indication of the extent to which the digital computer has changed the outlook in industrial control. The volume dealing with Theory is very interesting if difficult to assess. I feel that the abstraction of control problems and attempts to find quite formal and general solutions are very necessary and worthwhile. The difficulty lies in presenting the resulting techniques for evaluation by the practising control engineer. I believe that in making problems amenable to analysis many theorists are prone to start from unrealistic and over-simplified assumptions. Once again publication of discussions help one to make a balanced judgement. The volumes have been very well edited and the presentation is excellent. Both as reference books and as a guide to research they are to he thoroughly recommended. J. M. N]o)rrINGA~
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BOOK REVIEW Automatic and Remote Control. Vol. 1, Theory, VoL 2, Applications and Components. Edited by Prof. VICTOR BRO|DA. Butterworths, London (1964). £38 for two volumes. THESE two volumes present in full the papers and discussions of the Second Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control, held in Basle, Switzerland 1963. It is not feasible to review individual contributions, but the subjects covered span the vast range of Control and allied fields from very advanced theoretical techniques to the implementation of practical systems in the process industries. The array of contributors includes most of the well-known workers in this field but one also finds many new names. The papers, of necessity, are short and often summarize quite briefly a considerable development of ideas. This I feel can be an advantage rather than a disadvantage. Inclusion of the discussion on each paper gives a sense of vitality and helps to put the papers into a proper perspective. The 1960 IFAC Congress and its subsequent publications left one with the impression that considerable progress had been made towards developing new theories of Stability, Optimal and Adaptive Control and Stochastic Control, but that the potential appfications of these techniques in the control industries were by no means obvious or rewarding. One therefore awaited the 1963 Congress to see if significant progress had been made towards such applications. The volume on Applications and Components indicates that considerable effort has been made, with results that are at least an encouragement for the future. This volume also gives an indication of the extent to which the digital computer has changed the outlook in industrial control. The volume dealing with Theory is very interesting if difficult to assess. I feel that the abstraction of control problems and attempts to find quite formal and general solutions are very necessary and worthwhile. The difficulty lies in presenting the resulting techniques for evaluation by the practising control engineer. I believe that in making problems amenable to analysis many theorists are prone to start from unrealistic and over-simplified assumptions. Once again publication of discussions help one to make a balanced judgement. The volumes have been very well edited and the presentation is excellent. Both as reference books and as a guide to research they are to he thoroughly recommended. J. M. N]o)rrINGA~
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