MATH 474
Dynamical Systems and Chaos
Winter 2026
Topics
- Dynamical systems modeled by differential equations and maps
- Planar dynamics and phase portraits
- Parameter changes and qualitative changes of dynamics
- Periodic and homoclinic solutions
- Time reversibility and conserved quantities
- Chaotic dynamics and noninteger-dimensional attractors
- Applications to chemical reactions, climate, epidemiology and phase transitions
Readings
- Steven Strogatz. Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos. Westview Press.
- James Meiss. Differential Dynamical Systems. Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.
- Lecture material and separately provided problem sets.
Fall 2023 · MATH 474
Readings
- James Meiss, Differential Dynamical Systems, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- Syllabus or course outline ↗Winter 2026
- Historical course outline ↗Fall 2023
- Winter 2026 outline. Explicitly no required textbook. The course closely follows Strogatz; Meiss is a complementary resource.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.