Numerical Stability, Error and Stiffness — Cheat sheet

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Core rule

Euler stability: ∣1+hλ∣<1.\text{Euler stability: }|1+h\lambda|<1.

Watch for

At hk=2hk=2, Euler’s factor is −1-1, so magnitude is preserved instead of decaying. This boundary is not asymptotic decay. Step refinement should inspect solution values and qualitative behavior, not only whether the program runs.