Q1Control System
Question
Q.1. Define forward path and forward path gain.
Answer
A forward path in a signal flow graph is a path from the input (source) node to the output (sink) node along which no node is traversed more than once; forward path gain is the product of the branch gains along that path.
In a signal flow graph, a forward path is any continuous path traced from the input (source) node to the output (sink) node, following the direction of the arrows, such that no node is encountered more than once along the path. The forward path gain Pk is obtained by multiplying together all the individual branch transmittances (gains) that lie along that particular path, and this quantity is a key term used directly in the numerator of Mason's Gain Formula when computing the overall input-output transfer function of the system.