Stability over a finite time interval

This thesis will be concerned with the study of the new concept of final-stability which is a direct generalisation of the theory of stability over a finite time interval. The introduction deals with an intuitive historical development which leads to the concept under consideration. The main part, chapters I and II, is devoted to the study of differential systems. Precise definitions of the concept are stated, and a corresponding theory is established. Use has been extensively made of Liapunov-like functions. The possible relationship with the theory of controllability is indicated. Dynamical and discrete systems are then studied in some detail. For dynamical systems, a somewhat different approach is considered. Finally, possible future topics of research are suggested and discussed.