Step response

A step response is like a test to see what a system does when you give it a big change all at once. Imagine you have a desk-lamp, and the switch is turned off. This means that the lamp is not receiving any electricity. When you turn the switch on, the lamp will start receiving electricity, and it will light up. This is what would happen if you open the switch of an electrical system: it will get a big change of energy all at once. The step response measures how the system responds to this change and what it does with it. It takes into account things like how quickly the system reacts and how much energy is delivered over time. In the example of the desk-lamp, the step response would measure how quickly it takes the lamp to light up and how bright the light bulb is after it's been turned on.