1960 PROCEEDINGS OF THE IRE 1611

IRE Standards on Circuits: Definitions of Terms

for Linear Signal Flow Graphs, 1960*
COMMITTEE PERSONNEL
60 IRE 4. S1
Committee on Circuits
J. T. BANGERT, Chairman 1958 1960
W. A. LYNCH, Chairman 1956-1958
S. J. MWASON, Vice-Chairman 1958-1960 J. T. BANGERT, Vice-Chairman 1956-1958
WV. R. Bennett R. Kahal C. H. Page
J. G. Brainerd B. N. Kinariwala E. H. Perkins
A. R. D'Heedene H. L. Krauss E. J. Robb
T. R. Finch J. G. Linvill J. J. Suran
R. M. Foster J. C. Logue A. P. Stern
W. H-. Huggins S. J. M\lasonX W. N. Tuttle

Standards Committee
1959-1960
R. F. SHEA, Chairman
J. G. KREER, JR., Vice-Chairman C. H. PAGE, Vice-Chairman L. G. CUMMING, Vice-Chairman
J. Avins R. J. Farber A. E. Kerwien R. C. MJoyer
AN. F. Bailey D. G. Fink E. R. Kretzmer J. H. Mulligan, Jr.
M. W. Baldwin, Jr. G. L. Fredenidall G. S. Ley A. A. Oliner
J. T. Bangert E. A. Gerber Wayne M\lason 1\1. L. Phillips
XW. R. Bennett A. B. Glenn D. E. Maxwell R. L. Pritchard
J. G. Brainerd V. M. Graham P. Mertz P. A. Redlhead
P. S. Carter R. A. Hackbusch H. I. Metz R. Serrell
A. G. Clavier R. T. Haviland H. R. Mimno W. A. Shipmau
S. Doba, Jr. A. G. Jensen E. Mittelman H. R. Terhune
R. D. Elbourn R. WV. Johnston L. H. Montgomery, Jr. E. Weber
G. A. Espersen 1. Kerney G. A. Morton R. B. Wilcox
W. T. Wintringham

Definitions Coordinator
C. H. Page

Branch. A line segment joining two nodes, or joining one Branch Transmittance. The ratio of branch output signal
node to itself. to branch input signal.
V\ntv* n]Q n
Mv,, tad Rvwrh.
Cascade Node (Branch). A node (branch) not contained
Branch Input Signal. The signal, xX, at the input end of in a loop.
branch jk. Cofactor (or Path Cofactor). See Path (Loop) Factor.
Branch Output Signal (of branch jk). The component of Dependent Node. A node having one or more incoming
signal Xk contributed to node k via branch jk. branches.

* Approved bv the IRE Standards Committee, January 14, 1960. Reprints of this Standard 60 IRE 4.S1, may be purchased while available
from the Institute of Radio Engineers, 1 East 79th Street, New York, N. Y., at $0.25 per copy. A 20 per cent discount will be allowed for
100 or more copies mailed to one address.
162 PROCEEDINGS OF T1f11E
Directed Branch. A branch having an assigned direction.
Note: In identifying the branch direction, the
branch, jk, may be thought of as outgoing from node
j and incoming at node k. Alternatively, branch jk
may be thought of as originating or having its input
at node j, and terminating or having its output at node
k. The assigned direction is conveniently indicated
by an arrow pointing from node j toward node ke
Feedback Node (Branch). A node (branch) contained in
a loop.
Graph Determinant. One plus the sum of the loop-set
transmittances of all non-touching loop sets contained in
the graph.
Note 1: The graph determinant is conveniently ex
pressed in the form:
A (t ,Li>+
,
IRE September
Loop Transmittance. The product of the branci trans
mittances ir a loop.
Loop Transmittance of a Branch The loop transmit-
tance of an interior node inserted ir that branch
Note: A branch may always be replaced by an
equivalent sequence of branches, thereby creating irn
terior nodes.
Loop Transmittance of a Node. T5he graph transmittance
from the source node to the sink node created by splitting
the designated node
Node. One of the set of discrete points in a flow graph,
Node Absorption. A flow-graph transformation whereby
one or more dependent nodes disappear and the resulting
graph is equivalent with respect to the remaining node
signals.

LiLj LiLjLk +* e Note: For example, a circuit analog of node absorp

tion is the Star-Delta trarisformation
where Li is the loop transmittance of the ith loop of Node Signal. A variable, Xk, associated with node kJ
the graph, and the first summation is over all of the
different loops of the graph, the second is over all of Non-Touching Loop Set. A set of loops no two of which
the different pairs of non-touching loops, and the have a common node.
third is over all the different triplets of non-touching
loops, etc. Open Path. A path along which no node appears more
Note 2: The graph determinant may be written al- than once.
ternatively as Path. Any continuous succession of branches, traversed
in the indicated branch directions.
A =
[( Li)(I L2) (1 Ln)t
- . . .

Path (Loop) Factor. The graph determinant of that part

where Li, L2,, L,, are the loop transmittances of of the graph not touching the specified path (loop).
the n different loops in the graph, and where the Note I A paith (loop) factor is obtainable from the
dagger indicates that, after carrying out the mutlti graph determinant by strikinig out all terms containing
plications within the brackets, a term will be dropped transmittance products of loops which touch that
if it contains the transmittance product of two path (loop).
touching loops. Note 2: For loop Lk the loop factor is
Note 3 The graph determinant reduces to the re
turn difference for a graph having only one loop. dA/dLk-
Note 4: The graph determinant is equal to the de Path Transmittance. The product of the branch trans-
terminant of the coefficient equations. mittances in that path.
Graph Transmittance. The ratio of signal at some speci- Return Difference. One minus the loop transmittance.
fied dependent node, to the signal applied at some speci Signal Flow Graph. A network of directed branches in
fied source node. which each dependent node signal is the algebraic sum of
Note: The graph transmittance is the weighted suim the incoming branch signals at that node.
of the path transmittances of the different open paths Note: Thus, Xltk+X2tk I XXxn1.k=Xk at each
from the designated source node to the designated de dependent node k, where tjk is the branch transmit-
pendent node, where the weight for each path is the tance of braneh jk.
path factor divided by the graph determinant.
Sink Node. A node having only incoming branches.
Loop (Feedback Loop). A simple closed path.
Source Node. A node havng only outgoing branches.
Loop Factor. See Path Factor.
Loop Graph. A signal flow graph each of whose branches node Split Node. A node that has been separat1ed ito a source
is contained in at least one loop.
and a sink node.
Note : Splitting a node nterrupts all signal trans-
Note: Any loop graph embedded in a general graph mission through that node.
can be found by removing the cascade branches,
Note 2: In splitting a node, all incoming branches
Loop-Set Transmittance. The product of the negatives are associated with the resulting sink node and all
of the loop transmittances of the loops in a set. outgoing branches with the resulting source node.