EE 363: Linear Dynamical Systems

Stanford University, Spring Quarter 2026

Course description

State-space representation of linear dynamical systems. Eigenvalues of non-symmetric matrices. Left and right eigenvectors, with dynamical interpretation. Matrix exponential, stability, and asymptotic behavior. Multi-input/multi-output systems, impulse and step matrices. Convolution and transfer-matrix descriptions. Control, reachability, and state transfer. Observability and least-squares state estimation. Positive systems and Perron-Frobenius theory. Response of linear dynamical systems to Gaussian random inputs. The linear-quadratic regulator and the Kalman filter. Applications from a broad range of disciplines including circuits, signal processing, machine learning, and control systems.

Prerequisites: Linear algebra as in EE263.

Instructor

Sanjay Lall

Teaching Assistants

  • Andrei Kanavalau

  • Emi Soroka

Lectures

  • Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30am - 11:50am

  • First lecture 3/31, last lecture 6/2

  • Location: CoDa B60

This class will be recorded, and videos will be available on Canvas.