Text: "Dynamical stability and potential energy." Relationship between stability and potential energy of stable mechanical systems. For statically stable systems the equilibrium configurations are always associated with potential minima. Dynamical stability may occur at potential minima, at potential maxima, at fixed potentials other than extreme, with continuously varying potential, or even without any potential dependence. States that some forces (such as Coriolis and centrifugal forces) are fictitious, since they are not traceable to matter, but can be altered or made to vanish merely by altering the state of the observer. It is possible to express these forces as gradients of scalar potentials, but the author considers such "potentials" are no less fictitious than the "forces. American Journal of Physics. 50(5), May, 1982. p. 431-434

See Also: potential energy, potentials, mechanical stability, fictitious forces, scalar potential.

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