1What a feedback loop even is
A loop, and a little nudge
You only need two ideas. Watch each one:
A loop feeds back on itself
The result becomes part of the next try. The mic hears the room, the speaker plays it, the mic hears THAT, and round it goes. What comes out loops back into what goes in.
Everything drifts a little
Nothing sits perfectly still. A tiny breeze, a small sound, a little bump — every system gets nudged off its target now and then. The loop has to decide what to do about that wobble.
2Two ways a loop can answer a wobble
The bring-it-back loop vs the make-it-bigger loop
When the line drifts off target, a loop can do one of two opposite things:
The bring-it-back loop
Drifts up? It pushes back down. Drifts down? It pushes back up. Always toward the target. Thermostat, sweating to cool off, a balanced bike.
The make-it-bigger loop
Drifts up? It pushes further up. Drifts down? Further down. Always away from the target. Mic into speaker, a snowball, a panic.
3Your turn — feel a push-back loop
Drag the line off target and watch it fight back
Here's one push-back loop, like a thermostat. Drag the slider to shove the line away from the dashed target — then watch the loop tug it back. The harder you shove, the harder it pulls home.
4The new test — can correction be too strong?
Both push back. Does the stronger correction always settle faster?
Two new controllers both measure the distance from a target, then move in the direction that would correct it. The left moves 150% of that distance each turn. The right moves 250%. They start with the same small error.
Guess before you nudge
After eight correction turns, what will happen? Think about where a move bigger than the whole distance to the target lands.