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Bode Plots by hand


On ps #1, intuitively knowing how to plot the right SLOPES and PHASE seemed to trip up most people.
This is actually one of the easiest parts of ps #1:

BASIC RULES for BODE PLOTS
Delta in Gain slope (dB/dec)...
...with each Pole (or Zero)
Delta in Phase (degrees)...
...with each Pole (or Zero)
for EACH POLE -20 (db/dec) -90 (degrees)
for EACH ZERO +20 (db/dec) +90 (degrees)

The table above summarizes how each pole (or zero) affects the system response to the right (higher frequency).
Examples: Below are several examples of systems w/ multiple poles at the same frequency, to illustrate how simple this is:
1 Pole 2 Poles
1
------
(s+10)
= 1
------
(s+10)^2
=
3 Poles 3 Poles? but 1 Zero cancels 1 Pole!
1
------
(s+10)^3
= (s+10)
--------
(s+10)^3
=


Notice in the figure at the lower right that a POLE and ZERO colocated at the SAME FREQUENCY have CANCELLED OUT one another...
gonzo@mit.edu 2.010 Tutorial #2, 21-Sep-00