Control Theory Foundations

12 applied control-theory primitives for feedback control and dynamical systems, backed by a formal theory map. Each primitive owns a specific failure mode in any system that must reach and hold a target state despite disturbances, delays, noise, or nonlinearities. Primitives are domain-agnostic: the same PID loop that controls CPU utilization controls budget pacing and retry rates; the same circuit breaker that isolates a failing database isolates a failing LLM tool.

Contents

• Quick Reference
• Primitive Index
• Formal Supporting Theory
• Anti-Patterns
• Misuse Boundaries
• Expert Judgment
• Decision Checklist
• Composition Recipes
• Workflow
• ASCII Flow
• Navigation
• Fact-Checking