negative feedback

electronics

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 23, 2026

Quick Summary

Negative feedback, also known as inverse feedback, is a process that tends to dampen an action by applying the output in opposition to the initial conditions. In electronics, negative feedback is used to stabilize circuits and reduce distortions in signals.123

While it reduces the overall gain of an amplifier, it corrects for imperfections in the signal amplification process. For instance, if an amplifier handles larger signals less effectively than smaller ones, negative feedback can help to equalize the amplification across different signal sizes, thereby minimizing distortion.3

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

automation
Early developments
…elegant early example of a negative feedback control system, in which the increasing output of the system is used to decrease the activity of the system.
Read More
…elegant early example of a negative feedback control system, in which the increasing output of the system is used to decrease the activity of the system.
Read More

electronics
Coupling amplifiers
In negative feedback, the feedback signal is of a sense opposite to the signal present at the point in the circuit where the feedback signal is applied. While this has the effect of reducing the overall gain of the circuit, it also corrects numerous small distortions…
Read More
In negative feedback, the feedback signal is of a sense opposite to the signal present at the point in the circuit where the feedback signal is applied. While this has the effect of reducing the overall gain of the circuit, it also corrects numerous small distortions…
Read More

Harold Stephen Black
…who discovered and developed the negative-feedback principle, in which amplification output is fed back into the input, thus producing nearly distortionless and steady amplification. The principle has found widespread applications in electronics.
Read More
…who discovered and developed the negative-feedback principle, in which amplification output is fed back into the input, thus producing nearly distortionless and steady amplification. The principle has found widespread applications in electronics.
Read More