Expository & survey paper: The emergence of a discipline: Automatic control 1940-1960

  • Authors:

  • S. Bennett

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Control Engineering, University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield S1 3JD UK

  • Venue:
  • Automatica (Journal of IFAC)
  • Year:
  • 1976

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Abstract

The period 1940-1960 saw an enormous growth in both the theory and practice of automatic control, a growth which led in 1957 to the founding of IFAC. This paper examines some of the organizational developments which took place in Britain and the U.S.A. and which accompanied and helped to foster the growth of automatic control as a distinct discipline. It provides an account of government and professional institution activities and of the establishment of standards, the publication of books and bibliographies and the response of the public to automatic control.