Feb 16, 1999 | |
Announcement | -- Please Post |
Physics D60-0 | Spring quarter 1999 |
TTh 2:30-4:00 Tech M120 | Expected Enrollment: 8-15 |
The course offers a graduate level introduction to nonlinear dynamics and chaos. Effects of nonlinearities in systems encountered in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and engineering are studied with the aim of providing basic tools to simulate and analyze nonlinear systems.
Nonlinear dynamics - pervasive in even the simplest laws of nature - often leads to bewilderingly complex outcomes. Within this chaos, modern theory of dynamical systems uncovers structures largely independent of the details of underlying dynamics. The main theme is the qualitative analysis of nonlinear dynamical flows: stability of fixed points, existence of limit cycles, bifurcations and chaos. The systems to be studied are drawn from a wide range of sciences and engineering applications.
A term project will take the place of a final exam. The term project will be individually tailored to student's level and research interests.
TEXT: Steven H. Strogatz: Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos (Addison-Wesley 1994); supplementary notes and a subset of Classical and Quantum Chaos: A Cyclist Treatise webbook, available on www.nbi.dk/ChaosBook/ .
START Tuesday, March 29, 2:30 PM in Tech M120, with detailed schedule
available on www.phys.nwu.edu/~predrag/NUcourses/D60-sched99.html
.
Lecture topics and problem sets will be announced weekly by e-mail.
Please subscribe to the course e-mail
distribution even if you are only interested in a subset of the topics
- send e-mail with text (and no header):