Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2019/ia/paper-2/8c/b/solution

A critical point of a dynamical system satisfies and , so the critical points are
The Jacobian matrix of the vector field is
At the origin its eigenvalues are . Moreover, has a strict local minimum there, so the origin is a stable center of a planar dynamical system. At either other critical point,
has eigenvalues , so both points are unstable saddle points. Their common value identifies the special separatrices shown below.

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