Continuity of latent variable models

The authors study the continuity of the behavior of dynamical systems as a function of the parameters in their behavioral equations. A system is defined in terms of its behavior and continuity requires that this behavior be continuous in the limit. The problem is demonstrated by means of an example involving an RLC circuit whose port behavior exhibits a surprising discontinuity as a function of the numerical values of the elements in the circuit. The main result states that a system described by means of difference equations involving manifest (external) and latent (internal) variables will have a continuous behavior in the limit if the limit system is observable