Root Locus

Root locus is a method used in control engineering to analyze how a system's behavior changes as a specific parameter, usually gain, varies. It visually shows the possible locations of the system's poles (which determine stability and response) in the complex plane. As gain increases or decreases, the poles move along paths called root loci. This helps engineers predict whether the system will remain stable or become oscillatory, enabling them to design controllers that achieve desired performance and stability by understanding how system dynamics evolve with parameter adjustments.