An interactive approach to control systems analysis and design by the root locus technique

The root locus is a classic method for linear control systems analysis. Since its irruption in the fifties, it has been included in introductory undergraduate courses on control systems. The emergence of interactive control system design software tools, which easily draw the root locus, allows teachers to focus on explaining how the introduction o f new poles/zeros in the open-loop transfer function affects the root locus, instead of explaining its building rules. In this work, a new teaching methodology is presented to introduce the root-locus technique in introductory undergraduate courses on contr ol systems that encourages the use of an interactive tool, such as the LCSD tool developed by the authors, to reinforce its learnin g. © 2021 Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. All rights reserved.