When negative feedback is applied, a fraction βVo of the output is returned 180∘ out of phase, so the net input to the basic amplifier is reduced to Vi=Vs−Vf. Working through the definitions of open-loop gain A=Vo/Vi, closed-loop gain Af=Vo/Vs and feedback factor β=Vf/Vo gives the central result of the chapter:
Af=1+AβA.
The derivation follows from Vi=Vs−βVo=Vs−βAVi, which rearranges to Vs=Vi(1+Aβ); dividing Vo=AVi by this gives Af.
Since (1+Aβ)>1, the closed-loop gain is always smaller than the open-loop gain — the gain decreases by the factor (1+Aβ). This loss of raw gain is the price paid for the benefits of negative feedback.
The same relation is the workhorse for numerical problems. Rearranged, it gives the feedback fraction from a known pair of gains,
β=Af1−A1,
or the internal gain needed for a target closed-loop gain. Related quantities follow directly: the output voltage Vo=AfVi, the loop gain Aβ, and the feedback voltage Vf=βVo.