Nonlinear dynamics and bifurcations

Follow trajectories through phase space using stability, invariant sets, bifurcations, and deterministic chaos.

10 published lessons1 module335 min of guided study
  1. 01
    Nonlinear dynamics and bifurcationsadvanced · 10 lessons

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Nonlinear dynamics and bifurcations

Follow trajectories through phase space using stability, invariant sets, bifurcations, and deterministic chaos.

  1. 01

    Flows, orbits, and phase portraits

    Treat an autonomous differential equation as motion through state space, distinguishing a geometric orbit from its clock and its existence interval.

    30 min
  2. 02

    Linearization and hyperbolic equilibria

    Classify local motion with a Jacobian while keeping nonhyperbolic cases, coordinate changes, and global basins separate.

    31 min
  3. 03

    Stable and unstable manifolds

    Replace linear eigenspaces by nonlinear invariant geometry, derive a curved stable graph, and distinguish local sheets from their global continuations.

    33 min
  4. 04

    Lyapunov functions and LaSalle invariance

    Prove stability without explicit trajectories, use compact invariant sublevels, and identify the largest invariant subset of the zero-dissipation set.

    34 min
  5. 05

    Planar dynamics and Poincaré–Bendixson

    Use compact trapping regions to force periodic behavior, distinguish centers from limit cycles, and apply the divergence obstruction on its proper domain.

    33 min
  6. 06

    Saddle-node, transcritical, and pitchfork bifurcations

    Track equilibrium branches and their stability while distinguishing generic folds from branch-preserving and symmetry-constrained crossings.

    34 min
  7. 07

    Hopf bifurcation and limit cycles

    Connect a transversal imaginary-axis crossing with nonlinear amplitude saturation, distinguishing supercritical attraction from subcritical unstable cycles.

    34 min
  8. 08

    Poincaré maps and Floquet multipliers

    Reduce periodic-orbit stability to a transverse return map, distinguish multipliers from exponents, and account for the neutral flow direction.

    35 min
  9. 09

    Chaotic maps and Lyapunov exponents

    Quantify infinitesimal sensitivity along an orbit, analyze an expanding circle map, and distinguish positive exponents from a complete chaos claim.

    35 min
  10. 10

    Symbolic dynamics and horseshoes

    Encode a hyperbolic invariant set by bi-infinite itineraries, count periodic behavior, and state precisely what a horseshoe proves about a system.

    36 min
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