Stability - Definition and Overview

The word stability has a number of technical meanings, all related to the common meaning of the word.

In mechanics, stability characterizes the result of small perturbations to a system in mechanical equilibrium.
In system analysis and signal processing, stability means either:
- BIBO (Bounded Input, Bounded Output) stability
- Lyapunov stability
In control theory, stability characterizes the reaction of a dynamic system to external influences.
In numerical analysis, stability refers to how well an algorithm performs with regard to error in the numerical results: see numerical stability.
In everyday conversation about computers, stability is the tendency or otherwise of a system or program to crash.
In Meteorology stability in the air relates to vertical movements of air parcels.
On a boat it refers to the righting moment, and the resistance of the boat to capsize.
In sociology, stability refers to social stability.