The aim of this book is to propose a new approach to analysis and control of linear time-varying systems. These systems are defined in an intrinsic way, i.e., not by a particular representation (e.g., a transfer matrix or a state-space form) but as they are actually. The system equations, derived, e.g., from the laws of physics, are gathered to form an intrinsic mathematical object, namely a finitely presented module over a ring of operators. This is strongly connected with the engineering point of view, according to which a system is not a specific set of equations but an object of the...

This precis, comprised of three volumes, of which this book is the first, exposes the mathematical elements which make up the foundations of a number of contemporary scientific methods: modern theory on systems, physics and engineering.

This first volume focuses primarily on algebraic questions: categories and functors, groups, rings, modules and algebra. Notions are introduced in a general framework and then studied in the context of commutative and homological algebra; their application in algebraic topology and geometry is therefore developed. These notions play an essential role...