Advances in Time-Delay Systems

In the mathematical description of a physical or biological process, it is a common practice \0 assume that the future behavior of Ihe process considered depends only on the present slate, and therefore can be described by a finite sct of ordinary diffe­ rential equations. This is satisfactory for a large class of practical systems. However. the existence of lime-delay elements, such as material or infonnation transport, of­ tcn renders such description unsatisfactory in accounting for impo...