Fundamentals of System Modelling

A mathematical model is today an essential tool for systems engineering in general and control engineering in particular. Nowadays, it is unimaginable to conceive an engineering development without the help of a mathematical model, which describes the dynamical behaviour of the technical system under consideration. On the other hand, the development of a model requires the confluence of knowledge from different sources as well as the mastery of modelling principles and techniques. Depending on the discipline, modelling and its main concepts can be interpreted differently. Therefore, the present chapter is a short introduction to the fundamentals of mathematical models of a dynamic system in order to establish a common basis before the model building of different wind turbine components is undertaken in the following chapters.