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positive feedback

 - 8 dictionary results

feed⋅back

  [feed-bak]
–noun
1. Electronics.
a. the process of returning part of the output of a circuit, system, or device to the input, either to oppose the input (negative feedback) or to aid the input (positive feedback).
b. acoustic feedback.
2. the furnishing of data concerning the operation or output of a machine to an automatic control device or to the machine itself, so that subsequent or ongoing operations of the machine can be altered or corrected.
3. a reaction or response to a particular process or activity: He got very little feedback from his speech.
4. evaluative information derived from such a reaction or response: to study the feedback from an audience survey.
5. Psychology. knowledge of the results of any behavior, considered as influencing or modifying further performance. Compare biofeedback.
6. Biology. a self-regulatory biological system, as in the synthesis of some hormones, in which the output or response affects the input, either positively or negatively.
Origin:
1915–20; n. use of v. phrase feed back
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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positive feedback  
n.  Feedback that results in amplification or growth of the output signal.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

feedback

A process in which a system regulates itself by monitoring its own output. That is, it “feeds back” part of its output to itself. Feedback is used to control machines; a heating system, for example, uses a thermostat to monitor and adjust its output. Feedback is also used by the human brain to control various muscles and joints.

Note: By extension, “feedback” is any response or information about the result of a process.
Note: Feedback is usually a feature of automation.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: feed·back
Pronunciation: 'fEd-"bak
Function: noun
1 : the return to the input of part of the output of a machine, system, orprocess (as for producing changes in an electronic circuit that improve performance or in an automatic control device that provide self-corrective action)
2 a : the partialreversion of the effects of a process to its source or to a preceding stage b : the return to a point of origin of evaluative or corrective information about an action or processfeedback was solicited to help revise the nursing curriculum>; also : the information so transmitted
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

feedback feed·back (fēd'bāk')
n.

  1. The return of a portion of the output of a process or system to the input, especially when used to maintain performance or to control a system or process.

  2. The portion of the output so returned.

  3. The return of information about the result of a process or activity.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
feedback   (fēd'bāk')  Pronunciation Key 
The supply of an input to some process or system as a function of its output. See more at negative feedback, positive feedback.
positive feedback  
Feedback in which the output quantity or signal adds to the input quantity or signal. Positive feedback is responsible for the squealing of microphones when placed too close to the speaker through which their input signals are amplified. Compare negative feedback.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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