CL716 : Assignment 2

1. For each of the following systems, find the fixed points. Then sketch the nullclines, the vector
field, and phase portrait.
a. dx/dt = y, dy/dt = -2x 3y
b. dx/dt = 3x + 2y, dy/dt = x 2y
c. dx/dt = x2 y, dy/dt = x y
d. dx/dt = x + e y , dy/dt = y
e. dx/dt = sin (y) , dy/dt = cos (x)
f. dr/dt = r3 4r , d/dt = 1
g. dr/dt = r sin(r), d/dt = 1

2. For the following prototypical examples, plot the phase portraits as varies:
a) dx/dt = x x2, dy/dt = y
b) dx/dt = x + x3, dy/dt = y

3. Consider the system dx/dt = y 2x , dy/dt = + x2 y.

a) Sketch the nullclines.
b) Find and classify the bifurcations that occur as varies.
c) Sketch the phase portrait as a function of .

4. Find and classify all bifurcations for the system dx/dt = y ax, dy/dt = by + x/(l + x).

5. Consider the damped Duffing oscillator d2x/dt2 + dx/dt + x x3 = 0.

a) Show that the origin changes from a stable to an unstable spiral as decreases though zero.

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b) Plot the phase portraits for > 0, = 0, and < 0, and show that the bifurcation at = 0 is a
degenerate version of the Hopf bifurcation.

6. Schnackenberg (1979) considered the following hypothetical model of a chemical oscillator:

X A,

B Y, 2X + Y 3X

After using the Law of Mass Action and non-dimensionalizing, Schnackenberg reduced the
system to
dx/dt = a x+ x2y ,

dy/dt = b-x2y

where a, b > 0 are parameters and x, y > 0 are dimensionless concentrations.

a) Show that the system has a unique fixed point, and classify it.
b) Show that the system undergoes a Hopf bifurcation when b a = (a + b)3.
c) Is the Hopf bifurcation subcritical or supercritical?
d) Plot the stability diagram in a,b space.
Hint: It is a bit confusing to plot the curve b a = (a + b)3, since this requires analyzing a cubic.
Show that the bifurcation curve can be expressed as a = 0.5x* (1 x*2), b = 0.5x* (1 + x*2),
where x* > 0 is the x-coordinate of the fixed point. Then plot the bifurcation curve from these
parametric equations. This trick is discussed in Murray (1989).

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