2026-07-072026-07-07http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/121536We consider the following problem: find a fixed-order linear controller that maximizes the closed-loop asymptotic decay rate for the classical two-mass-spring system. This can be formulated as the problem of minimizing the abscissa (maximum of the real parts of the roots) of a polynomial whose coefficients depend linearly on the controller parameters. We show that the only order for which there is a non-trivial solution is 2. In this case, we derive a controller that we prove locally maximizes the asymptotic decay rate, using recently developed techniques from nonsmooth analysis.Optimization and Control93D15 93C05 49J52text