ðə sˈɛɾɪŋz əvə ɹˈɛɡjʊlˌeɪɾɪŋ kəntɹˈoʊlɚ ɡˈʌvɚnɪŋ ˈiːðɚɹ ɐ məʃˈiːn ɔːɹ pɹˈɑːsɛs lˈaɪk ɐn ˈɛɹpleɪn ɔːɹ kˈɛmɪkəl ɹɪˈæktɚ ɑːɹ fˈaʊnd baɪ jˈuːzɪŋ ɐ mˌæθɪmˈæɾɪkəl ˈælɡɚɹˌɪθəm ðæt mˈɪnɪmˌaɪzᵻz ɐ kˈɔst fˈʌŋkʃən wɪð wˈeɪɾɪŋ fˈæktɚz səplˈaɪd baɪ ɐ hjˈuːmən ˌɛndʒɪnˈɪɹ.
The settings of a (regulating) controller governing either a machine or process (like an airplane or chemical reactor) are found by using a mathematical algorithm that minimizes a cost function with weighting factors supplied by a human (engineer).