Finite-time blowup (${\lim }_{t\uparrow T}\Vert y(t)\Vert =\infty ,T<\infty$)

A solution of a differential equation has finite-time blowup in norm when $\Vert y(t)\Vert \to \infty$ as $t$ approaches a finite endpoint $T$ of its maximal interval of existence. This is stronger than merely approaching an excluded boundary of an open state domain while staying bounded. The finite-dimensional continuation criterion distinguishes these obstructions; for a locally Lipschitz continuous ordinary differential equation on $I\times {\mathbb{R}}^d$, a finite maximal endpoint inside $I$ necessarily entails finite-time blowup.

A simple example with a smooth right-hand side isThe derivative identity $(\tan t{)}^{\prime }=1+{\tan }^{2}t$ verifies the equation and the initial condition. Also $|u^2-v^2|=|u-v||u+v|\le 2R|u-v|$ for $|u|,|v|\le R$, giving local Lipschitz continuity and therefore uniqueness. Yet the positive blowup time is $T=\pi /2\approx 1.57079633$. Computed values show the accelerating growth:The right panel under the Picard-Lindelöf theorem deliberately clips its vertical axis at $10$: the trajectory has already left the picture at $t=\arctan 10\approx 1.47112767$, before reaching $T$. A plot ceiling is a display limit, not a finite value at blowup.

The tangent function also quantifies the last part of the trajectory. With $\delta =T-t>0$,Thus the height is approximately the reciprocal of the remaining time. At remaining times $\delta =0.1,0.01,0.001$, the heights are approximately $9.96664442,99.99666664,999.99966667$. These follow from the sine and cosine limits at zero and explain the steep rise without relying on the appearance of a clipped function graph.

The distinction is useful when interpreting a solution of a differential equation: uniqueness certifies a trajectory while it exists, while growth estimates decide how far it can be followed. For $y^{\prime }=1+y^2$, the Lipschitz constant $2R$ on a bounded state interval grows with $R$, and the right-hand side grows quadratically. There is no global Lipschitz constant or linear-growth bound of the kind used by the finite-dimensional continuation criterion. Smoothness at every finite state is entirely compatible with finite-time blowup.