Nonlinear system theory (Q761395)

This monograph is a natural sequel to the author's previous book [''Dynamical systems and their applications: Linear theory'', (1977; see the review 93002 in this volume)]. It is devoted mainly to algebraic and geometric methods in nonlinear systems theory, with emphasis on computability. The main problems are reachability of certain states, controllability, the problems of determining the state of a system by measuring outputs, and the problems of stability. The exposition includes latest results and approaches such as catastrophe theory, strange attractors etc. All the methods and results are illustrated by interesting examples such as urban migration, missile warface etc. The exposition of these problems is rather complete, a lot of results are given as excercises. The exposition is unusually mathematically strict (e.g. linear systems theory is developed for arbitrary commutative fields). Of course nonlinear systems theory is too wide a topic, so many approaches are ignored: (1) optimization, (2) systems with distributed parameters (i.e. described by partial differential equations), integrable systems, solitons etc., (3) stochastic systems, (4) structurized systems, (5) artificial systems with a computer as a component, whose nonlinearity is due to the nonlinear character of algorithms, realized in that computer, (6) using fuzzy information and ideas of synergetics for the identification of nonlinear systems, (7) computer simulation - a wide- spread instrument of investigating nonlinear systems (e.g. world dynamics). As a whole this book is a brilliant translation of the methods usually exposed by and for the engineers into the strict mathematical language - the only language that makes those results and methods understandable by a mathematical community.