Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2014/ia/paper-2/8b/iii/solution

The phase plane system is , . Its equilibrium points are for every integer . At such a point the Jacobian matrix and characteristic equation are
For even , the equilibrium point is a stable focus for , with eigenvalues ; it is a stable node for , with two distinct negative real eigenvalues. The excluded value gives the repeated critical case.
For odd , the eigenvalues are . One is positive and one negative, so each is a saddle equilibrium for every . These classifications follow from the linearization of a dynamical system, since all the relevant eigenvalues have nonzero real part for . The even equilibria remain hyperbolic at too, although their linearization then has a repeated eigenvalue; that critical case is excluded from the requested classification.

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