Linear system

In mathematics, automatic control and digital signal processing, a linear system is a system of linear functions such that the behaviour of the resulting system can be described as a sum of the linear parts, as opposed to nonlinear systems, which may contain nonlinear elements.

The mathematical properties of linear systems will typically include differential equations, which make them fit for analysis using the laplace transform in the continuous case, and Z-transform in the discrete case (especially in computer implementations).

See also: linear system of divisors in algebraic geometry.