Week Date Sections Topics covered tentative homework Due
1 25-Aug 1 Terminology
  27-Aug 2.2,2.4 One-dimensional flows, fixed points, stability 2.1.4, 2.2.1, 2.2.6, 2.2.8, 2.2.9, 2.2.12, 2.4.2, 2.4.9 (optional) 3-Sept
  29-Aug Discussion groups Group projects 12-Sept
2 1-Sep No class Labor Day    
  3-Sep 2.4,2.8 Linear stability. Numerics
  5-Sep 2.8 Chaos: the movie
3 8-Sep 3.1,3.2 Bifurcations (saddle node and transcritical) 3.1.1,3.1,3.,3.2.3,3.2.4 19-Sept
  10-Sep 3.6 Catastrophe (cusp bifurcations)
  12-Sep 3.3,3.4 Bifurcations (transcritical, pitchfork) 3.4.4,3.4.6,(optional 3.4.14) 22-Sept
4 15-Sep 3.5,3.6 Bead on a wire
  17-Sep 3.8 Insect outbreak
  19-Sep 10.1 Fixed points and cobwebs 3.6.3, 10.1.9,10.1.11 29-Sept
5 22-Sep 10.2 More on bifurcations. Logistic map
24-Sep HW presentations
26-Sep 10.3 Logistic map - computer lab 10.3.5, 10.3.10 6-Oct
6 29-Sept 10.4 Period doubling
  1-Oct 10.5 Period 3. Chaos 10.5.1, 10.5.2, 10.5.7 10-Oct
  3-Oct 10.6 Lyapunov exponents
7 6-Oct 10.7 Chaos and binary shift
  8-Oct 3.5 Periodic windows
  10-Oct 3.6 Renormalization
8 13-Oct 3.7 More on renormalization
  15-Oct 3.8 Midterm I (in class) Exam,Solutions Oct-22
  17-Oct 5.1,5.2 Classification of linear systems
9 20-Oct 5.3 More on classification 5.2.11, 5.3.3, 5.3.4, 5.3.5, 5.3.6 Oct-24
22-Oct Love affairs
  24-Oct 5.2 More on linear systems 5.1.9, 5.1.10 (a)&(e), 5.2.8, 5.2.13 Oct-31
10 27-Oct 6.1 Linear / nonlinear systems. The phase plane.
  29-Oct 6.1,6.2 Nonlinear systems. Nullclines.
  31-Oct 6.3,6.5 Linearization about fixed points. Conservative systems 6.3.10, 6.3.14, 6.5.1, 6.5.2 7-Nov
11 3-Nov 7.1,7.2 Limit cycles. Gradient systems and Lyapunov functions 7.2.9(a & c), 7.2.12 14-Nov
  5-Nov 7.4,7.5 Poincare-Bendixon theorem
  7-Nov 9.1 Relaxation oscillations
12 10-Nov 9.2 Lorenz model
  12-Nov 9.1 A water-weel model
  14-Nov Lorenz system 9.2.1
13 17-Nov 9 Lorenz system
  19-Nov 9 Midterm II (in class) Exam
  21-Nov 11.1 Cantor sets. The horseshoe map. The solenoid. Movie night
14 24-Nov No classes
Go vegan!  
15 1-Dec 11 More on Cantor sets.
  3-Dec 11.3,11.4 Fractal dimension. Box dimension. 11.2.5,11.3.2,11.3.4, 11.3.7,11.3.9,11.4.1,11.4.2
  5-Dec 12 The Henon map. A 2D strange attractor.
16 8-Dec Presentations
  10-Dec Presentations
  12-Dec Presentations
TBA TBA Final/presentations  
Last changed: Aug 21-st, 2008