First the question, is it
possible to read the LiveBlock program text? I tried to open it I
Delphi6. There I could find it, but it isnt possible to open a Delphi7
program in Delphi6?
[From Bill Powers (2006.07.11.1112 MDT)]
Bjorn Simonsen
(2006.07.11,18:55 EUST) –
If you have the file LiveBlock.pas, you can read the program text by
using the Notepad. Just open Notepad and then use File | Open. I didn’t
send the source code in the download, however, so you probably don’t have
the .pas file. It will be posted eventually but it’s not finished yet. It
should open with Delphi 6 if it’s there.
Then the Disturbance I think
it is interesting to watch the program run with Auto Disturbance On.
(r=5, Output Gain=20, Time constant =10, Input Gain =1, Input delay=0.5).
Here I can see the disturbance periodically change. Sometime the
disturbance is positive and sometimes the disturbance is negative.
I understand that this is a disturbance of the same quality, but it is
changing in intensity. I think so because the reference is constant. I
hope I am correct when I understand that the changing disturbance is
intensity changing. Is a tilting ships deck an example of a disturbance
changing from positive to negative?
The disturbance simply adds to the input quantity, along with the effect
from the output quantity that comes through the environmental feedback
factor. A positive value of disturbance means that it tends to make the
input quantity larger or less negative; a negative value means it tends
to make the input quantity smaller, or more negative. Of course real
neural signals can’t go negative, so this model represents two neural
control systems, one acting in one direction and the other in the
opposite direction. See my Byte articles for an example in which the true
one-way action of control sysems (and muscles) is illustrated. I forget
which installment it is.
As to what level of control is involved, that depends on what you’re
modeling. If qi is the amount of money in your bank account, it would be
a pretty high level involving symbol-manipulation. If someone else
withdraws money from your account, that is a negative-going disturbance;
if a kind person deposits money into your checking account, that is a
positive-going disturbance.
If qi is the speed of your car, then a headwind (blowing against the car
from the front) is a negative-going disturbance and a tailwind (blowing
the same way the car is moving) is a positive-going disturbance.
So this diagram applies at any level of control. The tilting deck of a
ship would disturb a person’s vertical orientation first one way, then
the opposite way, so that would involve positive and negative
disturbances.
Best,
Bill P.