Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 ii Paper 3 14E iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 ii Paper 3 14E ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 ii Paper 3 14D Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ii Paper 3 28B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
There are axis equilibria when , and for every . At an axis equilibrium the eigenvalues of the Jacobian matrix are and . Thus a negative axis root is a stable node when and a saddle when . A positive axis root is an unstable node when and a saddle when . Equalities give a zero eigenvalue.
At ,It is a saddle for . For , it is stable if , unstable if , with real node eigenvalues for and a focus for . At the node-focus transition is not a bifurcation of hyperbolicity when . For , has imaginary eigenvalues when and the linearized system is a centre. For , the candidate local bifurcation values are . When these zero-eigenvalue events coincide at , while the off-axis equilibrium also has zero-real-part imaginary eigenvalues for every .
The centre manifold theorem reduces local dynamics near zero-real-part eigenvalues to an invariant manifold tangent to their eigenspace; transverse directions with nonzero real parts retain their stable or unstable character. For a varying parameter, adjoin and use an extended centre manifold for a parameter.
Take . At near the origin, is an exact extended centre manifold. Its reduced equation isThis is a saddle-node bifurcation: no nearby axis equilibria for , one at zero, and two for . The transverse eigenvalue is positive, so the negative root is a saddle and the positive root an unstable node for small positive .
At , put , , . Then , , . Write the extended centre manifold as . Its invariance equation is . Matching degrees givesHence the reduced dynamics areThe exact equilibrium branches are and , crossing at zero and exchanging stability in the centre direction. This is a transcritical bifurcation; the transverse eigenvalue remains positive. For the axis branch is an unstable node and the off-axis branch a saddle; for their roles reverse locally.
When , the two parameter values merge and the origin at has a double zero eigenvalue with nonzero nilpotent linear part. The centre manifold is then two-dimensional, so the preceding one-dimensional classifications cannot simply be reused. Also the off-axis branch has imaginary eigenvalues for every , with identically zero trace: this is not a generic Hopf bifurcation obtained by varying . These degeneracies already follow without computing a new normal form.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 30A Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
The centre manifold theorem gives, near an equilibrium of a sufficiently smooth system, a local invariant manifold tangent to the generalized eigenspaces with zero-real-part eigenvalues, expressible as a graph of a function over them. Its reduced dynamics govern local equilibria and their stability in the presence of strictly stable transverse directions. The manifold need not be unique or analytic; finite Taylor jets can nevertheless be determined from invariance. Treating a parameter as a variable with gives the extended centre manifold for a parameter.
At the linearized block has eigenvalues , and the direction has eigenvalue . Thus the origin is a nonhyperbolic equilibrium, with stable dimension two and non-extended centre dimension one. The extended centre dimension is two. The transformed equations areThe graph of a function satisfies and , with invariance equations and . Symmetry permits odd and even in . Giving weight one and weight two, comparison yieldsHere means terms of weighted order at least under the stated scaling. If , the pitchfork bifurcation is supercritical: stable branches appear for as the origin loses stability. If , it is a subcritical pitchfork bifurcation: unstable branches occur for , while the origin is stable there.
For , assign weight four. The leading cubic terms in cancel. The invariance equations now give and : first contributes at weight six and also first contributes there. Substitution then givesThe derivative along the nonzero branches is , so they are unstable. The origin is stable for , unstable for , and nonlinearly unstable at because the leading term is . This is a degenerate subcritical pitchfork bifurcation.
Bifurcation diagram for the equilibrium branches
. Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 ii Paper 2 33A Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
The centre manifold theorem states that near an equilibrium whose linearization has centre, stable, and unstable spectral subspaces , there is a local invariant manifold tangent to at the equilibrium. It can be written locally as a graph over , and the dynamics on it govern the local nonhyperbolic behaviour. The manifold need not be unique, but its finite Taylor expansion is determined to the required order by the invariance equation.
