  Bi-stable objects that are pushed between states by an external field are
often used as a simple model to study memory formation in disordered materials.
Such systems, called hysterons, are typically treated quasistatically. Here, we
generalize hysterons to explore the effect of dynamics in a simple spring
system with tunable bistability and study how the system chooses a minimum.
Changing the timescale of the forcing allows the system to transition between a
situation where its fate is determined by following the local energy minimum to
one where it is trapped in a shallow well determined by the path taken through
configuration space. Oscillatory forcing can lead to transients lasting many
cycles, a behavior not possible for a single quasistatic hysteron.

Soft Condensed Matter