Abstract
The problem of displaying rapidly the root locus of a system has not previously been solved. The computer described in the thesis will display the root locus of a system having up to six poles and four zeroes, The computer consists of a hybrid combination of analogue and digital circuits. It employs an adaptive strategy to find successive points in the s-plane that satisfy the angle equation defining a branch of the root locus. The possible errors arising from circuit limitations are analysed, and design compromises to achieve a required performance at the lowest cost are specified. Some typical plots obtained on a cathode ray oscilloscope are shown. These not only demonstrate the validity of the approach used but also indicate the limitations imposed by the instrument specification. Possible alternatives to the design are suggested as a result of the changes that have occurred, both in cost and technology, in the integrated circuit field in recent years.