Nonlinear Dynamical Systems

Harvard FAS

An introduction to nonlinear dynamical phenomena, focused on identifying the long term behavior of systems described by ordinary differential equations. The emphasis is on stability and parameter dependence (bifurcations). Other topics include: chaos; routes to chaos and universality; maps; strange attractors; fractals. Techniques for analyzing nonlinear systems are introduced with applications to physical, chemical, and biological systems such as forced oscillators, chaotic reactions,…