WordGarden.iohysteresis
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /hˌɪstərˈiːsɪs/
US
- /hˌɪstərˈiːsɪs/
Meanings
Noun
a delayed or history-dependent response in a system after conditions change
Beyond the definition
Imagine squeezing a foam stress ball. When you release your grip, the foam doesn't snap back to its original shape instantly; it lingers in a compressed state for a moment, "remembering" the pressure you applied. This phenomenon, where an effect lags behind its cause and depends on the system's previous state, is what scientists call hysteresis.
Hysteresis isn't just about foam! It describes any situation where the state of something is determined by its history of changes. In physics, it's most famous in magnetism: even after you remove a magnetizing force, a piece of iron stays magnetized because it "remembers" the field it was just in. The word itself comes from the Greek husteresis, meaning "lagging behind" or "coming later." It's the universe's way of showing that the past always leaves a trace.
Hysteresis describes a phenomenon where the state of a system depends not only on its current environment but also on its past history. It represents a lagging effect—a gap between cause and effect where the system's output doesn't immediately "catch up" to the input. Crucially, hysteresis implies path dependence: the way a system reacts when you are increasing a force is often different from how it reacts when you are decreasing that same force.
You will encounter hysteresis across a vast array of disciplines. In physics and engineering, magnetic materials and elastic substances exhibit it; a rubber band, for instance, stretches and contracts along slightly different paths, dissipating energy as heat in the process. In biology, it can describe how certain cells respond to chemical signals only after a specific threshold is reached, maintaining that response even if the signal drops slightly.
The term is also a powerful metaphor in economics and psychology. In economics, "hysteresis" explains how a temporary recession can have permanent effects—such as workers losing skills during a period of unemployment, which prevents them from finding work even after the economy recovers. In psychology, it can refer to emotional states or perceptions that persist long after the original trigger has vanished. Ultimately, understanding hysteresis means recognizing that many systems possess a "memory," where what happened before fundamentally shapes what happens now.
Examples
- 1
Sensor readings
The pressure sensor shows some hysteresis, so its reading is slightly different when the force is rising and when it is falling.
- 2
Thermostat control
Engineers added hysteresis to the thermostat so the heater would not keep switching on and off every few seconds.
- 3
Economics
Some economists use the term hysteresis to describe unemployment that stays high even after a recession ends.
- Domainin economics, hysteresis
when an effect continues after the original cause is gone
See also
Similar
- lag
- path dependence
- memory effect
Shades of meaning
Contrast
- reversibility
- instantaneous response
Used with (collocations)
- hysteresis loop
- magnetic hysteresis
- thermal hysteresis
- hysteresis loss
Word family
- hysteretic
Explore
- feedback loop
- nonlinear response
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- hysteresisnoun
Forms
- hysteresespluralnoun