What is a bistable multivibrator circuit commonly referred to as?

A bistable multivibrator circuit is commonly referred to as a flip-flop. This type of circuit has two stable states, allowing it to store a single bit of binary information. Flip-flops are fundamental building blocks in digital electronics and are used in memory storage, registers, and various timing applications.

In contrast, other types of multivibrators like astable and monostable are not bistable, as they either continuously oscillate between states or have only one stable state and transition to a temporary state. Additionally, the term "synchronous circuit" refers to circuits that operate based on clock signals, while "oscillator" describes circuits that generate repetitive waveforms, usually without the capacity to store a state. These distinctions clarify why the term flip-flop is specifically associated with bistable multivibrator circuits.