System Functions and the Laplace Transform
This MIT OpenCourseWare half-semester course covers continuous control theory and the representation of functions in the complex frequency domain. Lessons work through generalized functions, unit impulse response, and convolution before introducing the Laplace transform, system (transfer) functions, and the pole diagram. Worked examples draw from mechanical and electrical engineering, showing how these tools model physical systems. The course is course 18.031 and is hosted on OCW's Open Learning Library, where all lecture notes, problem sets, and materials are free to view and use without enrolling. Signing up is optional and only useful for tracking progress. There is no paid certificate track; this is pure self-study material aimed at students who already have a background in differential equations and want to move into frequency-domain analysis and control theory fundamentals.