Negative feedback

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/negative-feedback

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the core principle?Counteracts deviations from a setpoint by feeding back an opposing signal
2. What is the primary outcome?Enhances system stability, accuracy, and responsiveness
3. How does negative feedback help a thermostat?A thermostat uses negative feedback to keep the room at a set temperature. When the room gets too hot or cold, it adjusts heating or cooling to bring it back to the target.
4. Why is negative feedback important in cars and planes?In cars, cruise control uses negative feedback to keep a steady speed. In planes, autopilot uses it to stay on the correct flight path by correcting small changes.

Dynamic System: A system whose state changes over time, often influenced by feedback.
Homeostasis: The maintenance of a stable internal physiological state in living organisms.
Control Theory: The interdisciplinary field that studies the behavior of dynamical systems with inputs.
Perturbation: A temporary disturbance or deviation from the normal state of a system.