What does proportional control mean?

Correcting by an amount proportional to the error: command = gain times error. Big error, big correction; small error, small correction.

Also written as: proportional controller, P controller, P control

In a lesson

Bang-bang goes at one speed whether the error is 160 degrees or 3. A better controller pushes in proportion to the error: hard when far off, gently when close. It is called a proportional controller, P for short, and it runs inside almost every machine you own.

Learn it

• Taught in 3.2 Proportional control Control, Robot club
• Guide with live demos: PID control explained

Used in

• 2.5 Drift and correction
• 3.4 Controlling speed
• 4.2 Where is it?
• 6.2 Following a line
• 6.5 Following a robot
• 10.2 Racing the bots
• U1.5 Seeing the signal
• U2.6 Go to a point
• U5.2 Proportional control
• U5.3 The derivative term

and 4 more lessons.

All glossary terms