Stability may refer to:

Mathematics

Stability theory In mathematics, stability theory addresses the stability of solutions of differential equations and of trajectories of dynamical systems under small perturbations of initial conditions. The heat equation, for example, is a stable partial differ ...

, the study of the stability of solutions to differential equations and dynamical systems ** Asymptotic stability **

Exponential stability In control theory, a continuous linear time-invariant system (LTI) is exponentially stable if and only if the system has eigenvalues (i.e., the poles of input-to-output systems) with strictly negative real parts (i.e., in the left half of the c ...

Linear stability In mathematics, in the theory of differential equations and dynamical systems, a particular stationary or quasistationary solution to a nonlinear system is called linearly unstable if the linearization of the equation at this solution has the for ...

Lyapunov stability Various types of stability may be discussed for the solutions of differential equations or difference equations describing dynamical systems. The most important type is that concerning the stability of solutions near to a point of equilibrium. ...

Marginal stability In the theory of dynamical systems and control theory, a linear time-invariant system is marginally stable if it is neither asymptotically stable nor unstable. Roughly speaking, a system is stable if it always returns to and stays near a particu ...

Orbital stability In mathematical physics and the theory of partial differential equations, the solitary wave solution of the form u(x,t)=e^\phi(x) is said to be orbitally stable if any solution with the initial data sufficiently close to \phi(x) forever remains ...

Structural stability In mathematics, structural stability is a fundamental property of a dynamical system which means that the qualitative behavior of the trajectories is unaffected by small perturbations (to be exact ''C''1-small perturbations). Examples of such q ...

Stability (probability) In probability theory, the stability of a random variable is the property that a linear combination of two independent copies of the variable has the same distribution, up to location and scale parameters. The distributions of random variables h ...

, a property of probability distributions * Stability (learning theory), a property of machine learning algorithms *Stability, a property of

sorting algorithm In computer science, a sorting algorithm is an algorithm that puts elements of a List (computing), list into an Total order, order. The most frequently used orders are numerical order and lexicographical order, and either ascending or descending ...

s *

Numerical stability In the mathematical subfield of numerical analysis, numerical stability is a generally desirable property of numerical algorithms. The precise definition of stability depends on the context: one important context is numerical linear algebra, and ...

, a property of numerical algorithms which describes how errors in the input data propagate through the algorithm * Stability radius, a property of continuous polynomial functions *

Stable theory In the mathematical field of model theory, a theory is called stable if it satisfies certain combinatorial restrictions on its complexity. Stable theories are rooted in the proof of Morley's categoricity theorem and were extensively studied as ...

, concerned with the notion of stability in model theory *Stability, a property of points in

geometric invariant theory In mathematics, geometric invariant theory (or GIT) is a method for constructing quotients by group actions in algebraic geometry, used to construct moduli spaces. It was developed by David Mumford in 1965, using ideas from the paper in class ...

K-Stability In mathematics, and especially differential and algebraic geometry, K-stability is an algebro-geometric stability condition, for complex manifolds and complex algebraic varieties. The notion of K-stability was first introduced by Gang Tian and ...

, a stability condition for algebraic varieties. * Bridgeland stability conditions, a class of stability conditions on elements of a

triangulated category In mathematics, a triangulated category is a category with the additional structure of a "translation functor" and a class of "exact triangles". Prominent examples are the derived category of an abelian category, as well as the stable homotopy ca ...

. * Stability (algebraic geometry)

Engineering

BIBO stability In signal processing, specifically control theory, bounded-input, bounded-output (BIBO) stability is a form of stability for signals and systems that take inputs. If a system is BIBO stable, then the output will be bounded for every input to the ...

(Bounded Input, Bounded Output stability), in signal processing and control theory *

Directional stability Directional stability is the tendency of a vehicle or moving body to keep its orientation aligned with its direction of movement. When a car or an airplane gets turned a little relative to its direction of motion, it might correct itself, over-co ...

, the tendency for a body moving with respect to a medium to point in the direction of motion *Elastic stability, the resistance of a structural member to

buckling In structural engineering, buckling is the sudden change in shape (Deformation (engineering), deformation) of a structural component under Structural load, load, such as the bowing of a column under Compression (physics), compression or the wrin ...

Flight dynamics Flight dynamics in aviation and spacecraft, is the study of the performance, stability, and control of vehicles flight, flying through the air or in outer space. It is concerned with how forces acting on the vehicle determine its velocity and at ...

, including

longitudinal stability In flight dynamics, longitudinal stability is the Flight dynamics (fixed-wing aircraft), stability of an aircraft in the longitudinal, or Aircraft principal axes, pitching, plane. This characteristic is important in determining whether an aircraft ...

Nyquist stability criterion In control theory and stability theory, the Nyquist stability criterion or Strecker–Nyquist stability criterion, independently discovered by the German electrical engineer at Siemens in 1930 and the Swedish-American electrical engineer Harry ...

, defining the limits of stability for pole-zero analysis in control systems *

Relaxed stability In aviation, an aircraft is said to have relaxed stability if it has low or negative stability. An aircraft with negative stability will have a tendency to change its pitch and bank angles spontaneously. An aircraft with negative stability cann ...

, the property of inherently unstable aircraft *

Ship stability Ship stability is an area of naval architecture and ship design that deals with how a ship behaves at sea, both in still water and in waves, whether intact or damaged. Stability calculations focus on center of mass#center of gravity, centers of ...

in naval architecture includes **

Limit of positive stability In sailing, the limit of positive stability (LPS) or angle of vanishing stability (AVS) is the angle from the vertical at which a boat will no longer stay upright but will capsize, becoming inverted, or turtled. For example, if a boat with an ...

, the angle at which a boat will no longer stay upright **

Stability conditions (watercraft) The stability conditions of watercraft are the various standard loading configurations to which a ship, boat, or offshore platform may be subjected. They are recognized by classification societies such as Det Norske Veritas, Lloyd's Register a ...

of waterborne vessels *

Slope stability Slope stability refers to the condition of inclined soil or rock slopes to withstand or undergo movement; the opposite condition is called slope instability or slope failure. The stability condition of slopes is a subject of study and research i ...

, a property of soil-covered slopes *

Stability model In software development, the stability model (SM) is a method for designing and modelling software. It is an extension of object-oriented software design (OOSD) methodology, such as Unified Modeling Language (UML), but adds its own set of rules, ...

of software design

Natural sciences

* Atmospheric stability, in fluid dynamics, a measure of the turbulence in the ambient atmosphere *

Band of stability Stable nuclides are isotopes of a chemical element whose nucleons are in a configuration that does not permit them the surplus energy required to produce a radioactive emission. The nuclei of such isotopes are not radioactive and unlike radionuc ...

, in physics, the scatter distribution of isotopes that do not decay *

Chemical stability In chemistry, chemical stability is the thermodynamic stability of a chemical system, in particular a chemical compound or a polymer. Colloquially, it may instead refer to kinetic persistence, the shelf-life of a metastable substance or system; t ...

, occurring when a substance is in a dynamic chemical equilibrium with its environment **

Thermal stability In thermodynamics, thermal stability describes the stability of a water body and its resistance to mixing.Schmidt, W. 1928. Über Temperatur und Stabilitätsverhältnisse von Seen. Geogr. Ann 10: 145 - 177. It is the amount of work needed to tra ...

of a chemical compound **

Kinetic stability In chemistry and physics, metastability is an intermediate energetic state within a dynamical system other than the system's state of least energy. A ball resting in a hollow on a slope is a simple example of metastability. If the ball is onl ...

of a chemical compound **

Stability constants of complexes In coordination chemistry, a stability constant (also called formation constant or binding constant) is an equilibrium constant for the formation of a complex in solution. It is a measure of the strength of the interaction between the reagents tha ...

, in solution *

Convective instability In meteorology, convective instability or stability of an air mass refers to its ability to resist vertical motion. A ''stable'' atmosphere makes vertical movement difficult, and small vertical disturbances dampen out and disappear. In an ''uns ...

, a fluid dynamics condition *

Ecological stability In ecology, an ecosystem is said to possess ecological stability (or equilibrium) if it is capable of returning to its equilibrium state after a perturbation (a capacity known as Ecological resilience, resilience) or does not experience unexpecte ...

, measure of the probability of a population returning quickly to a previous state, or not going extinct *

Homeostasis In biology, homeostasis (British English, British also homoeostasis; ) is the state of steady internal physics, physical and chemistry, chemical conditions maintained by organism, living systems. This is the condition of optimal functioning fo ...

, a property of a biological system in which variables are regulated so that internal conditions remain stable *

Metastability In chemistry and physics, metastability is an intermediate energetic state within a dynamical system other than the system's state of least energy. A ball resting in a hollow on a slope is a simple example of metastability. If the ball is onl ...

, stability of an intermediate energy state of a dynamical system above its lowest energy state * Plasma stability, a measure of how likely a perturbation in a plasma is to be damped out

Exercise and sports medicine

* Core stability of the abdominal muscles *

Joint stability Joint stability refers to the resistance offered by various musculoskeletal tissues that surround a skeletal joint. Several subsystems ensure the stability of a joint. These are the passive, active and neural subsystems. It is believed that one or ...

in the musculoskeletal system

Social sciences

Economic stability Economic stability is the absence of excessive fluctuations in the macroeconomy. An economy with fairly constant output growth and low and stable inflation would be considered economically stable. An economy with frequent large recessions, a pronou ...

, the absence of excessive fluctuations in the macroeconomy *

Hegemonic stability theory Hegemonic stability theory (HST) is a theory of international relations, rooted in research from the fields of political science, economics, and history. HST indicates that the international system is more likely to remain stable when a single sta ...

, a theory of international relations * Mertens-stable equilibrium, called "stability" in game theory * Political stability

Entertainment

*'' The Stability EP'', a 2002 three song EP by Death Cab for Cutie *"Stability", a song by Debbie Harry from the album ''

Debravation ''Debravation'' is the fourth solo album by American singer Deborah Harry, released in July 19, 1993. It was the final album Harry made whilst signed to the Chrysalis label, thus ending a successful partnership that began with her time as a me ...

'' * "''Stability''" (short story), by Philip K. Dick

Other uses

* Stability (wine)