Example of a stable and an unstable equilibrium, respectively.
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Stability
When someone pushes you on a swing, do you keep going in the same
direction or do you swing back the other way? If it wasn't a really
strong push, you come back. That's because a swingset is a
stable system. That means if you don't do anything after
you get pushed then you will return to where you started. If the
swingset was
unstable then you would keep going with
just a little push and not end up where you started.
The atmosphere can be either stable or unstable. If it's unstable then
clouds can form. If
it's really unstable then a lot of clouds can form and turn into a
storm and then begin to
rain.
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