Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2006 ii Paper 1 7E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Solving the two factors in each equation gives . The Jacobian isAt the three boundary equilibria its eigenvalues are . These equilibria are hyperbolic fixed points; the Hartman-Grobman theorem gives local topological conjugacy to their saddle linearizations. At the matrix is , with eigenvalues . The linearization is a centre, but the hyperbolic theorem does not apply there.
The nonlinear classification follows from the actual HamiltonianAlong solutions . At , and its Hessian is , which is positive definite. Nearby regular level curves are closed ovals around this strict minimum. Their vector field is nonzero and tangent, so each is a periodic orbit. The nonlinear equilibrium is a centre.
The separatrix level consists of , , and . Within the triangle they connect the saddles as . The interior levels are nested clockwise periodic orbits; outside the triangle the remaining level branches are unbounded. On , flow is left for and right for or ; on , it is up for and down otherwise. These directions and the invariant levels determine the full phase portrait.
