hysteresis
Path-dependent system behavior
Hysteresis is a lag between cause and effect—when a system's response depends not just on current conditions but on its history.
A thermostat with hysteresis turns heat on at 68°F but off at 72°F, preventing rapid cycling.
The term appears in physics, engineering, and economics: The unemployment rate shows hysteresis—it doesn't fall as quickly as it rose.
The core idea is that systems remember where they've been.
Raising temperature artificially
- coolingLosing thermal energy
- phase transitionMatter shifting between states
- supercoolingLiquid chilled below freezing
- superheatingHeating past phase transition
nucleation · melting · freezing · crystallization · thermostat · temperature · lag · overshoot
Permanently magnetizable substance
- saturationState of complete permeation
- remanenceResidual magnetization after demagnetizing
- demagnetizationRemoval of magnetic properties
- permeabilityAbility to transmit fluids
soft iron · magnetization · lodestone · transformer · inductor · eddy current · susceptibility · ferrite
Able to stretch, rebounds
- rubberElastic polymer from trees
- springRecoiling metal spiral
- stretchPull to extend
- deformationChange in shape
stress-strain · loading · unloading · creep · fatigue · viscoelastic · polymer · metal
Disproportionate cause and effect
- thresholdPoint of beginning
- irreversibilityState of being permanent
- stateCondition or mode
- trajectoryPath of moving object
history · feedback · dynamics · attractor · bifurcation · complexity · initial conditions · sensitivity
Being without paid work
- inflationSustained price level increase
- recessionProlonged economic decline
- persistenceContinuing despite difficulty
- scarringPermanent mark formation
structural · policy · monetary · fiscal · shock · recovery · sticky · wage
Self-modifying cyclical process
- setpointPredetermined control value
- backlashStrong negative reaction
- relayStage-by-stage transmission
- thermostatAutomatic climate control device
switching · overshoot · undershoot · controller · actuator · sensor · stability · oscillation
Threshold triggering major change
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
- eutrophicationExcess nutrients depleting oxygen
- desertificationLand becoming barren, infertile
coral bleaching · deforestation · recovery · threshold · degradation · restoration · feedback · irreversibility
heating
Raising temperature artificially
- coolingLosing thermal energy
- phase transitionMatter shifting between states
- supercoolingLiquid chilled below freezing
superheating · nucleation · melting · freezing · crystallization · thermostat · temperature · lag · overshoot · undershoot
ferromagnet
Permanently magnetizable substance
- saturationState of complete permeation
- remanenceResidual magnetization after demagnetizing
- demagnetizationRemoval of magnetic properties
permeability · soft iron · magnetization · lodestone · transformer · inductor · eddy current · susceptibility · ferrite · permanent magnet
elastic
Able to stretch, rebounds
deformation · stress-strain · loading · unloading · creep · fatigue · viscoelastic · polymer · metal · plasticity
nonlinearity
Disproportionate cause and effect
- thresholdPoint of beginning
- irreversibilityState of being permanent
- stateCondition or mode
trajectory · history · feedback · dynamics · attractor · bifurcation · complexity · initial conditions · sensitivity · lock-in
unemployment
Being without paid work
- inflationSustained price level increase
- recessionProlonged economic decline
- persistenceContinuing despite difficulty
scarring · structural · policy · monetary · fiscal · shock · recovery · sticky · wage · price
feedback loop
Self-modifying cyclical process
thermostat · switching · overshoot · undershoot · controller · actuator · sensor · stability · oscillation · chattering
tipping point
Threshold triggering major change
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
- eutrophicationExcess nutrients depleting oxygen
desertification · coral bleaching · deforestation · recovery · threshold · degradation · restoration · feedback · irreversibility · lake
- magnetismmagnet, magnetic field, magnetic fields, magnetic poles, ferromagnetism
- circuit phenomenaimpedance, reactance, capacitance, inductance, resistance
- magnetic circuitsmagnetic core, air gap, reluctance, magnetic flux, yoke
- material dynamicsdamping, elasticity, viscoelasticity, stiffness, resonance
- Process ControlPID, PLC, setpoint, feedback loop, control valve
- sensor specssensitivity, accuracy, precision, calibrate, range
hysteresisreversibility
Can be undone
elasticity · energy conservation · proportionality · superposition