\u201cHe was doing perfectly on assessments and exams that he wasn\u2019t enrolled even in. It was astonishing. Even then, I couldn\u2019t really call myself his \u2018mentor\u2019 because I didn\u2019t really feel like a mentor: I felt like we were at the same level,\u201d Ntogramatzidis says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Arumugam soon realised how other branches of mathematics could be used to improve control system functionality. The idea of using the fractional-order differential equation, something which only a few control systems engineers have otherwise proposed, greatly impressed Ntogramatzidis.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough his own hard work, he has been able to grasp incredibly abstract and difficult areas of mathematics. He has achieved a level of understanding far <\/em>beyond his age and level of study.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s something very few undergraduate students are able to achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n Arumugam, Padula and Ntogramatzidis, are preparing a research paper on the model in collaboration with the University of Padua, Italy, which is due to be published within the next few months.<\/p>\n Control systems are the \u2018brains\u2019 behind automated technology and play essential roles in our daily lives. But they are not 100% accurate.<\/p>\n Until now, most control systems have been described in part by integer-order differential equations. These equations predict changes in the physical system that the technology operates in, such as a thermostat predicting temperature changes in a room to maintain the desired room temperature. But they have limited accuracy because they only involve integer-order derivatives, such as the first, second and third.<\/p>\n The model by Arumugam replaces one of the integer-order differential equations with a fractional-order differential equation, which accommodates for fractional-order derivatives, such as derivatives of order one-half or the square root of 2. This approach allows the model to describe phenomena more accurately than integer-order differential equations.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s analogous to replacing a set of fixed length wrenches with an adjustable wrench,\u201d says Arumugam.<\/p>\n If you want to find out more about Arumugam\u2019s model, please contact Associate Professor Lorenzo Ntogramatzidis<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Faded](\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Control-systems-montage.jpg\")
How does it work?<\/h2>\n
![\"Diagram](\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Control-Systems-Diagram-2.jpg\")
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