This book is aimed at mathematicians, scientists, and engineers, studying models that involve a discontinuity, or studying the theory of nonsmooth systems for its own sake. It is divided in two complementary courses: piecewise smooth flows and maps, respectively. Starting from well known theoretical results, the authors bring the reader into the latest challenges in the field, going through stability analysis, bifurcation, singularities, decomposition theorems and an introduction to kneading theory. Both courses contain many examples which illustrate the theoretical concepts that are introduced.

This book presents a coherent framework for understanding the dynamics of piecewise-smooth and hybrid systems. An informal introduction expounds the ubiquity of such models via numerous. The results are presented in an informal style, and illustrated with many examples. The book is aimed at a wide audience of applied mathematicians, engineers and scientists at the beginning postgraduate level. Almost no mathematical background is assumed other than basic calculus and algebra.

This book presents a coherent framework for understanding the dynamics of piecewise-smooth and hybrid systems. An informal introduction expounds the ubiquity of such models via numerous. The results are presented in an informal style, and illustrated with many examples. The book is aimed at a wide audience of applied mathematicians, engineers and scientists at the beginning postgraduate level. Almost no mathematical background is assumed other than basic calculus and algebra.

Real-world systems that involve some non-smooth change are often well-modeled by piecewise-smooth systems. However there still remain many gaps in the mathematical theory of such systems. This doctoral thesis presents new results regarding bifurcations of piecewise-smooth, continuous, autonomous systems of ordinary differential equations and maps. Various codimension-two, discontinuity induced bifurcations are unfolded in a rigorous manner. Several of these unfoldings are applied to a mathematical model of the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (a common yeast). The nature of resonance near border-collision bifurcations is described; in particular, the curious geometry of resonance tongues in piecewise-smooth continuous maps is explained in detail. NeimarkSacker-like border-collision bifurcations are both numerically and theoretically investigated. A comprehensive background section is conveniently provided for those with little or no experience in piecewise-smooth systems.

This book provided the first self-contained comprehensive exposition of the theory of dynamical systems as a core mathematical discipline closely intertwined with most of the main areas of mathematics. The authors introduce and rigorously develop the theory while providing researchers interested in applications with fundamental tools and paradigms. The book begins with a discussion of several elementary but fundamental examples. These are used to formulate a program for the general study of asymptotic properties and to introduce the principal theoretical concepts and methods. The main theme of the second part of the book is the interplay between local analysis near individual orbits and the global complexity of the orbit structure. The third and fourth parts develop the theories of low-dimensional dynamical systems and hyperbolic dynamical systems in depth. Over 400 systematic exercises are included in the text. The book is aimed at students and researchers in mathematics at all levels from advanced undergraduate up.

Technical problems often lead to differential equations withpiecewise-smooth right-hand sides. Problems in mechanicalengineering, for instance, violate the requirements of smoothness ifthey involve collisions, finite clearances, or stickOCoslipphenomena."

This volume looks at the study of dynamical systems with discontinuities. Discontinuities arise when systems are subject to switches, decisions, or other abrupt changes in their underlying properties that require a ‘non-smooth’ definition. A review of current ideas and introduction to key methods is given, with a view to opening discussion of a major open problem in our fundamental understanding of what nonsmooth models are. What does a nonsmooth model represent: an approximation, a toy model, a sophisticated qualitative capturing of empirical law, or a mere abstraction? Tackling this question means confronting rarely discussed indeterminacies and ambiguities in how we define, simulate, and solve nonsmooth models. The author illustrates these with simple examples based on genetic regulation and investment games, and proposes precise mathematical tools to tackle them. The volume is aimed at students and researchers who have some experience of dynamical systems, whether as a modelling tool or studying theoretically. Pointing to a range of theoretical and applied literature, the author introduces the key ideas needed to tackle nonsmooth models, but also shows the gaps in understanding that all researchers should be bearing in mind. Mike Jeffrey is a researcher and lecturer at the University of Bristol with a background in mathematical physics, specializing in dynamics, singularities, and asymptotics.