This book commemorates the 60th birthday of Dr. Wim van Horssen, a specialist in nonlinear dynamic and wave processes in solids, fluids and structures. In honor of Dr. Horssen’s contributions to the field, it presents papers discussing topics such as the current problems of the theory of nonlinear dynamic processes in continua and structures; applications, including discrete and continuous dynamic models of structures and media; and problems of asymptotic approaches.

This book gives a mathematical treatment of the introduction to qualitative differential equations and discrete dynamical systems. The treatment includes theoretical proofs, methods of calculation, and applications. The two parts of the book, continuous time of differential equations and discrete time of dynamical systems, can be covered independently in one semester each or combined together into a year long course. The material on differential equations introduces the qualitative or geometric approach through a treatment of linear systems in any dimension. There follows chapters where equilibria are the most important feature, where scalar (energy) functions is the principal tool, where periodic orbits appear, and finally, chaotic systems of differential equations. The many different approaches are systematically introduced through examples and theorems. The material on discrete dynamical systems starts with maps of one variable and proceeds to systems in higher dimensions. The treatment starts with examples where the periodic points can be found explicitly and then introduces symbolic dynamics to analyze where they can be shown to exist but not given in explicit form. Chaotic systems are presented both mathematically and more computationally using Lyapunov exponents. With the one-dimensional maps as models, the multidimensional maps cover the same material in higher dimensions. This higher dimensional material is less computational and more conceptual and theoretical. The final chapter on fractals introduces various dimensions which is another computational tool for measuring the complexity of a system. It also treats iterated function systems which give examples of complicated sets. In the second edition of the book, much of the material has been rewritten to clarify the presentation. Also, some new material has been included in both parts of the book. This book can be used as a textbook for an advanced undergraduate course on ordinary differential equations and/or dynamical systems. Prerequisites are standard courses in calculus (single variable and multivariable), linear algebra, and introductory differential equations.

This book uses a hands-on approach to nonlinear dynamics using commonly available software, including the free dynamical systems software Xppaut, Matlab (or its free cousin, Octave) and the Maple symbolic algebra system. Detailed instructions for various common procedures, including bifurcation analysis using the version of AUTO embedded in Xppaut, are provided. This book also provides a survey that can be taught in a single academic term covering a greater variety of dynamical systems (discrete versus continuous time, finite versus infinite-dimensional, dissipative versus conservative) than is normally seen in introductory texts. Numerical computation and linear stability analysis are used as unifying themes throughout the book. Despite the emphasis on computer calculations, theory is not neglected, and fundamental concepts from the field of nonlinear dynamics such as solution maps and invariant manifolds are presented.

In the analysis and synthesis of contemporary systems, engineers and scientists are frequently confronted with increasingly complex models that may simultaneously include components whose states evolve along continuous time and discrete instants; components whose descriptions may exhibit nonlinearities, time lags, transportation delays, hysteresis effects, and uncertainties in parameters; and components that cannot be described by various classical equations, as in the case of discrete-event systems, logic commands, and Petri nets. The qualitative analysis of such systems requires results for finite-dimensional and infinite-dimensional systems; continuous-time and discrete-time systems; continuous continuous-time and discontinuous continuous-time systems; and hybrid systems involving a mixture of continuous and discrete dynamics. Filling a gap in the literature, this textbook presents the first comprehensive stability analysis of all the major types of system models described above. Throughout the book, the applicability of the developed theory is demonstrated by means of many specific examples and applications to important classes of systems, including digital control systems, nonlinear regulator systems, pulse-width-modulated feedback control systems, artificial neural networks (with and without time delays), digital signal processing, a class of discrete-event systems (with applications to manufacturing and computer load balancing problems) and a multicore nuclear reactor model. The book covers the following four general topics: * Representation and modeling of dynamical systems of the types described above * Presentation of Lyapunov and Lagrange stability theory for dynamical systems defined on general metric spaces * Specialization of this stability theory to finite-dimensional dynamical systems * Specialization of this stability theory to infinite-dimensional dynamical systems Replete with exercises and requiring basic knowledge of linear algebra, analysis, and differential equations, the work may be used as a textbook for graduate courses in stability theory of dynamical systems. The book may also serve as a self-study reference for graduate students, researchers, and practitioners in applied mathematics, engineering, computer science, physics, chemistry, biology, and economics.

This volume deals with controllability and observability properties of nonlinear systems, as well as various ways to obtain input-output representations. The emphasis is on fundamental notions as (controlled) invariant distributions and submanifolds, together with algorithms to compute the required feedbacks.

This volume covers a diverse collection of topics dealing with some of the fundamental concepts and applications embodied in the study of nonlinear dynamics. Each of the 15 chapters contained in this compendium generally fit into one of five topical areas: physics applications, nonlinear oscillators, electrical and mechanical systems, biological and behavioral applications or random processes. The authors of these chapters have contributed a stimulating cross section of new results, which provide a fertile spectrum of ideas that will inspire both seasoned researches and students.

This monograph is devoted to recent advances in nonlinear dynamics of continuous elastic systems. A major part of the book is dedicated to the analysis of non-homogeneous continua, e.g. plates and shells characterized by sudden changes in their thickness, possessing holes in their bodies or/and edges, made from different materials with diverse dynamical characteristics and complicated boundary conditions. New theoretical and numerical approaches for analyzing the dynamics of such continua are presented, such as the method of added masses and the method of proper orthogonal decomposition. The presented hybrid approach leads to results that cannot be obtained by other standard theories in the field. The demonstrated methods are illustrated by numerous examples of application.