Step-response is the temporal output of a system following a step input — an instantaneous transition from one constant amplitude level to another. The step-response characterizes a system's transient behavior including rise time, settling time, overshoot, and steady-state error. It is derived from the impulse-response via integration: the step-response equals the integral of the impulse-response from negative infinity to time t. The step-response is a fundamental tool in control theory, signal processing, and circuit analysis for evaluating system stability and dynamic performance.[formal: step-response | substrate: behavior | horizon: a moment | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.01]
Accepted ontology entry
step-response
Step-response is the temporal output of a system following a step input — an instantaneous transition from one constant amplitude level to another. The step-response characterizes a system's transient behavior including rise time, settling…
Definition
Why it is in scope
Step-response is the output of a system when subjected to a step input — a sudden change from one constant level to another. It is a human-made analytical construct used to characterize system dynamics, transient behavior, and settling properties. Built to persist through mathematical formalization and engineering practice.
Names and aliases
- step-responseen · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Relations to this entry
- cmsp1itep03r1jlss77l8np5t← DERIVED_FROM
Step-response (Heaviside step input characterization) predates and conceptually feeds into impulse-response (Dirac delta input characterization). Which-came-first test: step-response epoch 0.01, impulse-response epoch 0.18. You can derive impulse-response from step-response via differentiation, establishing the conceptual lineage.
- cmsp3bx7q03ynjlssvrpirdmw← DEPENDS_ON
Overshoot is a feature measured from a step response — the maximum peak above steady-state during the transient. Remove step-response and overshoot as a concept has no measurable referent and ceases to operate.
- cmsp3bx7q03ynjlssvrpirdmw← DERIVED_FROM
Overshoot is a parameter derived from step-response analysis: it quantifies the maximum peak above steady-state during a system's step response. The step-response concept predates overshoot as a named parameter; overshoot was later derived to characterize transient quality in step-response measurements.
Record identity
- Created
- Aug 11, 2026, 9:11 PM UTC
- Content hash
- 7ad09287fd9f6ae36582acf4ad6ac591ea8d4f6cdda73489db476a196151bf55