The purpose of physical modeling is to make sure that all applicable physical laws (e.g., Maxwell's equations, kinematic equations of motion) and physical principles (e.g., conservation of energy) are obeyed at the moment when the abstract concepts of the model, like channel inputs and outputs or trajectories of moving vehicles, are associated with measurable physical quantities of a real system. This task requires that all signals are modeled by conjugate pairs, like position and momentum in mechanics, or voltage and current in circuit theory. The multiport concepts of circuit theory have proven particularly useful in this regard, providing a systematic and easy to use way to model signal flow, energy flow, noise and the interaction of coupled systems consistently with the governing physics. Similarly, single- and two-track motion models are useful for modeling the trajectories of moving vehicles in the automotive field.

Physical modeling is used in the following fields of research at our institute:

• Automotive Safety and Autonomous Driving
• Optimization in Power Systems

To learn more about examples of physical modeling we kindly refer to the following lectures offered at our institute:

• Circuit Theory and Communications
• Physical Principles of Electromagnetic Fields and Antenna Systems