Magnitude condition
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The magnitude condition is a constraint that is satisfied by the locus of points in the s-plane on which closed-loop poles of a system reside. In combination with the angle condition, these two mathematical expressions fully determine the root locus.
Let the characteristic equation of a system be
, where
. Rewriting the equation in polar form is useful.

where (k = 0,1,2,...) are the only solutions to this equation. Rewriting
in factored form,
,
and representing each factor (s − ap) and (s − bq) by their vector equivalents,
and
, respectively,
may be rewritten.

Simplifying the characteristic equation,
,
from which we derive the magnitude condition:
.
The angle condition is derived similarly.

