🔍 Key Concepts

• Closed-loop control systems and how they correct errors • Difference between negative feedback and positive feedback in terms of stability • The idea of error displacement (is the system too high or too low compared to the setpoint?)

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: when a system output is too high compared to the desired value, what kind of feedback will act to bring it back down instead of driving it even higher? • Think about a common example like a ship’s autopilot or a thermostat—does it use positive or negative feedback to maintain a steady course/temperature? • Which type of feedback generally makes systems more likely to oscillate or run away, and which type tends to stabilize them?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which feedback type is generally associated with stabilizing a control system in normal operation. • Determine whether "same direction as the error" would increase or decrease the error from the setpoint. • Determine whether "opposite direction as the error" would work to reduce the error and bring the system back toward the desired value.