Efficient optimal equation formulation in lumped power-conserving systems

Sets of inputs and outputs are defined for lumped power-conserving systems, and a set of inputs is defined to be consistent if the corresponding set of outputs can be written in terms of it. To find a set of state equations, one needs a consistent set of inputs. Given one consistent set of inputs it is shown (1) how to test whether any other set of inputs is consistent, and (2) given a preference ordering on all sets of inputs with certain additional properties, how to find an optimal set. The algorithm for (2) is shown to be O(m(5))-time, where m is the number of external elements of the system. Its application is to finding optimal sets of state equations.