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Projective and non-projective systems of first order nonlinear differential equations

Author

Riad A. Rejoub, University of the Pacific

Date of Award

1992

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

Department

Mathematics

First Advisor

Carl E. Wulfman

First Committee Member

A[?] Gamile [?]

Second Committee Member

Vincent D. Pavico [?]

Third Committee Member

Coburn C. Ward

Abstract

It is well established that many physical and chemical phenomena such as those in chemical reaction kinetics, laser cavities, rotating fluids, and in plasmas and in solid state physics are governed by nonlinear differential equations whose solutions are of variable character and even may lack regularities. Such systems are usually first studied qualitatively by examining their temporal behavior near singular points of their phase portrait.

In this work we will be concerned with systems governed by the time evolution equations [see PDF for mathematical formulas]

The x_i may generally be considered to be concentrations of species in a chemical reaction, in which case the k's are rate constants. In some cases the x_i may be considered to be position and momentum variables in a mechanical system. We will divide the equations into two classes: those in which the evolution can be carried out by the action of one of Lie's transformation groups of the plane, and those for which this is not possible. Members of the first class can be integrated by quadrature either directly or by use of an integrating factor; those in the second class cannot. Of those in the first class the most interesting evolve by transformations of the projective group, and these, as well as the equations that cannot be integrated by quadrature, we study in some detail. We seek a qualitative analysis of systems which have no linear terms in their evolution equations when the origin from which the x_i are measured is a critical point. The standard, linear, phase plane analysis is of course not adequate for our purposes.

Pages

99

Recommended Citation

Rejoub, Riad A.. (1992). Projective and non-projective systems of first order nonlinear differential equations. University of the Pacific, Thesis. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2228