How does negative feedback work?

Question

The control center for regulating body temperature is in a region called the hypothalamus.When the body is fighting an infection,the hypothalamus allows body temperature to climb higher than normal value of about 30 degrees C.Explain how this can be a negative feedback.

Answer 1

Negative feedback acts to reduce the output of a system.

For example, when it's hot, a person sweats: this is done to release excess heat the builds up in the body. In other words, a person is reducing the amount of heat in one's body.

With your example, the body increases it's temperature to limit or reduce the bacteria that caused the infection- thus stopping the infection from spreading.

Since the body is trying to reduce the effects of bacteria/infection, this is an example of negative feedback.