Question

The minimum number of states require to describe the two degree differential equation:

(a) 1

(b) 2

(c) 3

(d) 4

This question was posed to me by my college director while I was bunking the class.

This intriguing question comes from State Variable Analysis in chapter Time Response Analysis, Design Specifications and Performance Indices of Control Systems

Answer 1

The correct answer is (b) 2

For explanation I would say: The number of states required to describe a network is equal to the number of energy storing elements in the electrical network.