Santa continues refining the temperature-control system of his Christmas Hot Cocoa Machine. To train the elves, he asks them to explain what feedback really means. Five enthusiastic elves step forward… with five very different answers. Which elf is actually describing correctly what feedback control is?
a.❄️⚡️⏱️ Elf Frostflash – “Speed is everything.”
“Feedback means reacting super fast. If the cocoa gets 0.01°C cooler, I yank the heating lever instantly. The faster I act, the more feedback!”
b.🧠📆🔁 Elf Retrolock – “It’s about remembering the past.”
“Feedback means learning from last time. If yesterday the cocoa was too cold, today I’ll heat more, and so on!”
c.🔁↩️⚖️ Elf Flipflop – “Just do the opposite.”
“Feedback means avoiding overdoing it by reversing your previous action. If I heated a bit a moment ago, I should cool now to avoid burning things up, and vice versa!”
d.👀🔭⏱️ Elf Zoomlens – “The more you stare, the better the feedback.”
“Feedback means checking the thermometer as often as possible, since the more frequently I watch the output, the more frequently I can respond!”
e.🎯📈🔧 Elf Sagesip – “Decide by checking the output.”
“Feedback means checking how warm the cocoa is right now, comparing it to what Santa wants, and adjusting the lever accordingly!”
f.🗣️💬📣 Elf Chatterspark – “Tell what you think.”
“Feedback means giving your opinion about how things are going. If the cocoa tastes a bit bland, I tell the machine: ‘Hey, warm up a little more, buddy!’ Good feedback means good advice!”
Who is right?
Related control topic: principle of feedback