Feedback loops are circular patterns of system behavior that can either amplify or eliminate certain conditions. If an output of a loop is fed back into the loop on the next iteration, then the loop is a feedback loop. The behavior of a feedback loop depends on the loop's function, but can be broadly distinguished into *positive* and *negative* feedback loops. ### Positive Feedback Loop A positive feedback loop increases the value of the output. For example, a population of breeding rabbits beginning with 1 male and 1 female is observed. This initial pair produces more rabbits, which in turn produce more rabbits, which in turn produce more rabbits, until before you know it, there are a billion rabbits (barring additional feedback loops that control the rabbit population)! ### Negative Feedback Loop A negative feedback loop decreases the value of the output. For example, a steersman at a boat is observing his course down the river. All of the sudden, a gust of wind pushes the boat a couple of degrees to the right. The steersman notices the condition and corrects the course of the boat to the left so as to eliminate the variation off-course. Every time the boat is similarly off course, the steersman eliminates the off-course condition. --- #Systems *May 29, 2021* #2021/5