Past exam of the differential equations and applications course of the University of Oxford / 2008 / A / 1 / b / Solution

Use the Poincaré-Lindstedt method. Introduce $\theta =\Omega t$ and $x=x_0(\theta )+ϵx_1(\theta )+\cdots$. The leading equation gives ${\omega }_0=3$ and $x_0=A_0\cos \theta$, after fixing the arbitrary phase. At order $ϵ$,Here $4{\cos }^2\theta \sin \theta =\sin \theta +\sin 3\theta$. Periodicity requires the two resonant coefficients to vanish. With $A_0>0$, this givesTherefore the leading limit cycle is $x(t)=\cos (3t)+O(ϵ)$, with frequency $3+O({ϵ}^2)$. For example the nonresonant first correction contains $-ϵ\sin (9t)/24$; its homogeneous sine/cosine pieces depend on phase and amplitude conventions. The absence of a first-order frequency shift is a solvability condition, not an assumption.