What is a key characteristic of a bistable multivibrator?

A bistable multivibrator is designed to have two stable states. This characteristic allows it to maintain its state until an external trigger changes it to the other state. In essence, it can be thought of as a memory device that can store one of two binary states (typically referred to as 0 or 1).

The defining feature of a bistable multivibrator is its ability to remain stable without needing continuous input. It requires an external pulse to switch from one state to the other, meaning that once it is set to a state, it stays there until acted upon by an external trigger. This makes it fundamentally different from other types of multivibrators, such as monostable or astable configurations, which either have one stable state or continuously cycle through changing states.

Understanding this helps distinguish how bistable multivibrators function in digital circuits, particularly in applications involving flip-flops and memory storage elements, where the stability of two distinct states is crucial.