= Hysteresis
{wiki}
Dependence of a system's observed state on the path by which its control parameters were reached. In a <first-order phase transition>, a <metastable> local minimum may persist after another phase becomes globally stable, so increasing and decreasing the control parameter give different switching points. <Nucleation> and sweep rate determine actual switching; a mean-field <spinodal point> is a local-stability limit, not the equilibrium <phase coexistence> condition.
Back to article page
