Customer Reviews

Optimal Control Theory for Applications (Mechanical Engineering Series)

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"Optimal Control Theory for Applications" by D. Hull builds the optimal control theory starting from basic concepts. The use of differentials allow a deeper understanding of what the term "variation" means. Difficult concepts are explained with high clarity. As an example, one could compare the explanation of controllability in Hull's book and in the classical Bryson's book "Applied Optimal Control". In this book, controllability and the more advanced concepts on 2nd order optimality conditions are deduced in an extremely rigorous, clear fashion. The chapter on guidance is also valuable. The last three chapters cover approximation methods and a comprehensive treatment of the methods for transcribing optimal control problems into parameter optimization problems. I recommend this book to undergraduate students as well as to scientists that work in the field of applied optimization.

My instructor for this course was the author Dr. David Hull himself.
This book is very systematic in its approach and gradually increases the complexity of the parameter optimization/optimal control problem. It is very rigourous in the derivation of results. There aren't many solved examples but that is not a show stopper in my opinion, as the solutions to all the problems in this subject are algorithmic in nature (ie first start with augmented performance index, then apply 1st differential condition, get the optimal control, then apply 2nd differential condition, solve the boundary valued problem...etc..the steps are the same in every problem. Owing to this nature, I don't think too many examples are required). The exercises are also well graded, starting from easy ones building on to difficult ones. These are the positives.

The only bad thing about this book is, it doesn't follow a separate notation for matrices. So as you proceed after chapter 5, it becomes difficult to keep track of which is a scalar, which is a vector, which is a matrix. Also, I feel the derivation of 2nd differential condition for optimal control problems (chapter 11 onwards)could have been made more simpler. The derivation skips too many intermediate steps. So these are the parts that are not self contained and the instructor has to fill in the gaps.

On the whole a good book. Would definitely recommend it.