4th Assignment

Advanced Control Systems

EE 3302
Instructions:
• Try to solve the problem on your own.

• Correct and unique answer is expected.

• Submission due is ten days, counting starts from the day of assigning this problem
sheet.

• Upon submission, the instructor may ask a random student to come to the board
and discuss the solution of any randomly selected problem of this assignment with
the entire class. If the student fails to explain, a second chance will be given. A
consecutive failure will be considered a deliberate demonstration of an indifferent
attitude, and accordingly, the TA marks will be decided.

Solve all the Problems

1. Consider the linear system

   
0 1 −1
ẋ = x+ u
1 0 1
 
y= 0 1 x

(a) Determine its transfer function for u to y, and verify that it is BIBO stable.
(b) Is the system asymptotically stable?

2. Consider the case of rabbits and foxes in Australia. The number of rabbits is x(t),
and if left alone, it would grow indefinitely (until the food supply was exhausted) so
that

ẋ1 = kx1

However, with foxes present on the continent, we have

ẋ1 = kx1 − ax2 ,

where x2 is the number of foxes. Now, if the foxes must have rabbits to exist, we
have

ẋ2 = −hx2 + bx1 .

Determine whether this system is stable and thus decays to the condition x1 (t) =
x2 (t) = 0 as t → ∞. What are the requirements on a, b, h, and k for a stable system?
What is the result when k is greater than h?

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3. Determine the stability of the following system using the Lyapunov equation A⊤ P +
P A = −Q.
 
−1 −2
ẋ = x
1 −4

4. Show that all the eigen values of the matrix A will have negative real parts less than
η < 0, iff for every positive definite M matrix there exists a unique symmetric positive
definite P such that they together satisfy the following equation: AT P + P A + 2ηP =
−M

5. Consider a nonlinear system. The state equations are

ẋ1 = −x1 + 2x31 + x2

ẋ2 = −x1 − x2

(a) Find the equilibrium points of the system.

(b) Linearize the system about these equilibrium points.
(c) Find the eigenvalues of these linearized systems.

6. Consider the following equations, which represent the pumping of the heart

x3
ẋ = v − µ( − x)
3
v̇ = −x

where x is the muscle fibre length; v is the stimulus, and µ > 0 is a parameter.

(a) Find the equilibria.

(b) Find the linear system representation about the equilibria.
(c) Determine the eigenvalues for µ > 2, µ = 2 and µ < 2.

7. Consider a nonlinear system dynamics

ẋ1 = x2 − x1 (x21 + x22 )

ẋ2 = −x1 − x2 (x21 + x22 )

(a) Find the equilibrium points.

(b) Comment about the stability of the system.

8. For each of the following systems, use a quadratic Lyapunov functions candidate to
show that the origin is asymptotically stable:

(i) x˙1 = −x1 + x1 x2

x˙2 = −x2
(ii) x˙1 = −x2 − x1 (1 − x21 − x22 )
x˙2 = −x1 − x2 (1 − x21 − x22 )
(iii) x˙1 = x2 (1 − x21 )
x˙2 = −(x1 + x2 )(1 − x21 )
(iv) x˙1 = −x1 − x2
x˙2 = −2x1 + x32

Investigate whether the origin is globally asymptotically stable.

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 9. Consider the system x˙1 = x2 , x˙2 = −(x1 + x2 ) − h(x1 + x2 ) where h is continuously
differentiable and zh(z) > 0 ∀z ̸= 0 . Using the variable gradient method, find a
Lyapunov function that shows that the origin is globally asymptotically stable.

10. Consider the second-order nonlinear system, whose dynamics is shown below:

6x1
x˙1 = − + 2x2
u2
−2(x1 + x2 )
x˙2 =
u2

where u = 1 + x21 . Let V (x) = x21 /(1 + x21 ) + x22 . Show that V (x) > 0 and V̇ (x) < 0 ∀x ∈
R2 − {0}.

11. Consider the system ẋ = f (x) with f (x) = 0. Assume that f (x) is continuously differ-
   T
∂f ∂f
entiable and its Jacobian ∂f /∂x satisfies P (x) + (x) P ≤ −I ∀ x ∈ Rn ,
∂x ∂x
where P = P T > 0
R 1 ∂f
(i) Using the representation f (x) = (σx)dσ show that, xT P f (x) + f T P x ≤
0 ∂x
−xT x, ∀ x ∈ Rn
(ii) Show that V (x) = f T P f (x) is positive definite ∀x ∈ Rn and radially unbounded.
(iii) Show that the origin is globally asymptotically stable.

12. Consider the system as shown in the equation below:

x˙1 = x2
x˙2 = −h1 (x1 ) − x2 − h2 (x3 )
ẋ3 = x2 − x3

where h1 and h2 are locally Lipschitz functions that satisfy hi (0) = 0 and yhi (y) > 0
∀y ̸= 0.

(a) Show that the system has a unique equilibrium point at the origin.
Rx x2 Rx
(b) Show that V (x) = 0 1 h1 (y) dy + 22 + 0 3 h2 (y) dy is positive definite for all x ∈ R3
(c) Show that the origin is asymptotically stable.
(d) Under what conditions on h1 and h2 can you show that the origin is globally
asymptotically stable?

13. Show that the origin of

x˙1 = x2
x˙2 = −x31 − x32

is globally asymptotically stable.

14. Consider the system

x˙1 = −x2 x3 + 1
x˙2 = x1 x3 − x2
x˙3 = x23 (1 − x3 )
a Show that the system has a unique equilibrium point.
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 b Using linearization, show that the equilibrium point is asymptotically stable.
Is it globally asymptotically stable?

15. Comment on the stability of the equilibrium point of the system as shown in the
equation below (where n is the order of the system, and m is any arbitrary positive
odd number).

ẋ1 = x2
ẋ2 = x3
..
.
ẋn = −xm m m
1 − x2 . . . − xn