Introduction To Experimental Nonlinear Dynamics

Nonlinear behavior can be found in such highly disparate areas as population biology and aircraft wing flutter. For this reason, nonlinear dynamics and chaos have become very active fields of research. This work uses an extended case study--an experiment in mechanical vibration--to introduce and explore the subject of nonlinear behavior and chaos from an engineering perspective. After a review of basic principles, the text then describes a cart-on-a-track oscillator and shows what happens when it is gradually subjected to greater excitation, thereby encountering the full spectrum of nonlinear behavior, from simple free decay to chaos. Advanced undergraduate and graduate students, as well as practicing engineers, will find this book a lively, accessible introduction to the subject.

A case study in mechanical vibration introduces the subject of nonlinear dynamics and chaos.

A unified and coherent treatment of analytical, computational and experimental techniques of nonlinear dynamics with numerous illustrative applications. Features a discourse on geometric concepts such as Poincaré maps. Discusses chaos, stability and bifurcation analysis for systems of differential and algebraic equations. Includes scores of examples to facilitate understanding.

This series of lectures aims to address three main questions that anyone interested in the study of nonlinear dynamics should ask and ponder over. What is nonlinear dynamics and how does it differ from linear dynamics which permeates all familiar textbooks? Why should the physicist study nonlinear systems and leave the comfortable territory of linearity? How can one progress in the study of nonlinear systems both in the analysis of these systems and in learning about new systems from observing their experimental behavior? While it is impossible to answer these questions in the finest detail, this series of lectures nonetheless successfully points the way for the interested reader. Other useful problems have also been incorporated as a study guide. By presenting both substantial qualitative information about phenomena in nonlinear systems and at the same time sufficient quantitative material, the author hopes that readers would learn how to progress on their own in the study of such similar material hereon. Contents:IntroductionNonlinear Oscillator without DissipationEquilibrium States of a Nonlinear Oscillator with DissipationOscillations in Systems with Nonlinear Dissipation-GeneratorsThe Van der Pol GeneratorThe Poincaré MapSlow and Fast Motions in Systems with One Degree of FreedomForced Nonlinear Oscillators: Linear and Nonlinear ResonancesForced Generator: SynchronizationCompetition of ModesPoincaré Indices and Bifurcations of Equilibrium StatesResonance Interactions between OscillatorsSolitonsSteady Propagation of Shock WavesFormation of Shock WavesSolitons. Shock Waves. Wave Interaction. The Spectral ApproachWeak Turbulence. Random Phase ApproximationRegular Patterns in Dissipative MediaDeterministic Chaos. Qualitative DescriptionDescription of a Circuit with Chaos. Chaos in MapsBifurcations of Periodic Motions. Period DoublingControlled Nonlinear Oscillator. IntermittencyScenarios of the Onset of Chaos. Chaos through Quasi-PeriodicityCharacteristics of Chaos. Experimental Observation of ChaosMultidimensional Chaos. Discrete Ginzburg-Landau ModelProblems to Accompany the Lectures Readership: Physicists. keywords: “These lecture notes briefly introduce the reader to new ideas, so would be a useful addition to a library or a source of ideas for lectures or projects; a good student may also find this text useful as a quick introduction to many new ideas.” Contemporary Physics “Introduction to Nonlinear Dynamics for Physicists … is a compact and fairly terse high-level set of 24 lectures.” New Scientist

This textbook is aimed at newcomers to nonlinear dynamics and chaos, especially students taking a first course in the subject. The presentation stresses analytical methods, concrete examples, and geometric intuition. The theory is developed systematically, starting with first-order differential equations and their bifurcations, followed by phase plane analysis, limit cycles and their bifurcations, and culminating with the Lorenz equations, chaos, iterated maps, period doubling, renormalization, fractals, and strange attractors.

This self-contained treatment covers all aspects of nonlinear dynamics, from fundamentals to recent developments, in a unified and comprehensive way. Numerous examples and exercises will help the student to assimilate and apply the techniques presented.

Chaos in Ecology is a convincing demonstration of chaos in a biological population. The book synthesizes an ecologically focused interdisciplinary blend of non-linear dynamics theory, statistics, and experimentation yielding results of uncommon clarity and rigor. Topics include fundamental issues that are of general and widespread importance to population biology and ecology. Detailed descriptions are included of the mathematical, statistical, and experimental steps they used to explore nonlinear dynamics in ecology. Beginning with a brief overview of chaos theory and its implications for ecology. The book continues by deriving and rigorously testing a mathematical model that is closely wedded to biological mechanisms of their research organism. Therefrom were generated a variety of predictions that are fundamental to chaos theory and experiments were designed and analyzed to test those predictions. Discussion of patterns in chaos and how they can be investigated using real data follows and book ends with a discussion of the salient lessons learned from this research program Book jacket.

Just a few decades ago, chemical oscillations were thought to be exotic reactions of only theoretical interest. Now known to govern an array of physical and biological processes, including the regulation of the heart, these oscillations are being studied by a diverse group across the sciences. This book is the first introduction to nonlinear chemical dynamics written specifically for chemists. It covers oscillating reactions, chaos, and chemical pattern formation, and includes numerous practical suggestions on reactor design, data analysis, and computer simulations. Assuming only an undergraduate knowledge of chemistry, the book is an ideal starting point for research in the field. The book begins with a brief history of nonlinear chemical dynamics and a review of the basic mathematics and chemistry. The authors then provide an extensive overview of nonlinear dynamics, starting with the flow reactor and moving on to a detailed discussion of chemical oscillators. Throughout the authors emphasize the chemical mechanistic basis for self-organization. The overview is followed by a series of chapters on more advanced topics, including complex oscillations, biological systems, polymers, interactions between fields and waves, and Turing patterns. Underscoring the hands-on nature of the material, the book concludes with a series of classroom-tested demonstrations and experiments appropriate for an undergraduate laboratory.