Abstract

One of the features which starts to emerge is the question of equilibrium points, and the question of whether they are stable or unstable. It must be clear to you that this is a matter of very considerable practical importance; if we are studying a system, perhaps a biological one involving the functioning of an organ in the body, or the concentrations of reagents in a cell, perhaps an economic one involving inflation, the difference between a system which runs wild and one which settles down is usually more important than the details of just how long it takes to do either of these things