Math 351
Differential Equations: Dynamical Systems and Chaos

Professor Sutherland, Spring 1997


Lorenz attractor applet by John Franks


A description of the course, including grading policies, text, etc.

week sections topics
1/15 1.1-1.4 Introduction. Begin one-dimensional maps
1/20 1.4-1.8 The logistic family; sensitive dependence; itineraries
If your browser is Java-enabled, you might try a logistic map simulator and bifurcation diagram generator
1/27 1.8; 2.1-2.2; Devaney: sect 1.6 The logistic family for a=4 and a>4; Introduction to 2 dimensional maps (especially the Henon map).
2/3 2.3-2.5, Appendix A sinks, sources, and saddles; Linear maps, eigenvalues and eigenvectors; nonlinear maps and linearization.
2/10 2.5-2.7, 3.1-3.3 stable and unstable manifolds;matrix times circle equals ellipse; Lyapunov exponents.
2/17 3.3-3.5 conjugacy, transition graphs, fixed points, basins of attraction, Sharkovskii's theorem.
2/24 Challenge 3, 3.5 Sharkovskii's theorem; the Schwarzian derivative; (no class 2/28)
3/3 4.1-4.4 Fractals: Cantor Sets, the Sierpinski gasket, basin boundaries.
Exam on 3/7, covers Chapters 1-3
3/10 4.5,4.6, 5.1, 5.2 Fractal dimension, box-counting dimension and correlation dimension. Lyapunov exponents in higher dimensions; Lyapunov dimension.
3/17 5.3-5.6 Fixed point theorems. Markov partitions. The Horseshoe map and subshifts of finite type.
3/24 Spring Break
3/31 6.1-6.6 Forward limit sets, chaotic attractors, measure.
4/7 7.1-7.6 Differential equations: linear and nonlinear. potentials. Lyapunov functions.

Due to family difficulties, the maintenance of this page has ceased. The course continues, but I cannot.

Homework
date due problems
2/5 do any 10
T1.2, T1.3, T1.9, T1.12, T1.13, T1.14; 1.2, 1.3, 1.6, 1.8, 1.11, 1.12, 1.16, Challenge 1 (counts as 8 problems).
2/19 do any 12
T2.5, T2.6, T2.7, T2.9; 2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 2.7, 2.9, Challenge 2 (counts as 8 problems). T3.1, T3.2, T3.3, T3.6, T3.8; 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 3.7, 3.12.
3/7 do any 10
T3.9, T3.10, T3.11, T3.13, T4.2, T4.3, T4.6, T4.8, T4.9, T4.10, T4.11. 3.5, 3.9, 3.11, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.5, 4.7.
3/31 Redo your exam as a take-home, carefully writing up any problems you didn't attempt or did incorrectly. You needn't redo problems that were done correctly. Do all 6 problems.
3/31 Do any 8
4.10, 4.12, 4.14. T5.5, T5.6, 5.1, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8.
4/18 Do any 10
T6.2, T6.3, T6.6, T6.10, T6.13, T6.14, Challenge 6 (Counts as 5--try it). 6.1, 6.5, 6.6, 6.8. T7.5, T7.6, T7.11. 7.2, 7.3, 7.6.