Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2002 iii Paper 56 1 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The equilibria have and . ThusAt , the linearization has trace and determinant . Hence is a saddle equilibrium when , a sink equilibrium when , and a source equilibrium when . The sink equilibrium/source equilibrium may be a node equilibrium or a focus equilibrium; the node-focus discriminant is not a bifurcation curve. At , the trace and determinant are and . These points are sink equilibria for and source equilibria for .
The local bifurcation curves are thereforeFor on the pitchfork curve, a leading centre-manifold equation is . For , with unfolding parameter , the pitchfork is supercritical and creates two sink equilibria from a sink equilibrium that becomes a saddle equilibrium. For it is subcritical in the centre direction; the nonzero branches are unstable, and the transverse eigenvalue is also positive. The origin of parameter space is a reflection-symmetric double-zero degeneration.
To determine Hopf criticality at the origin, use the energy , whose derivative is . For a small nearly harmonic oscillation , averaging gives . Thus this Hopf bifurcation is supercritical and creates an attracting periodic orbit for . By the supplied opposite-criticality fact, the simultaneous Hopf bifurcations at the two nonzero equilibria are subcritical. A direct calculation confirms this: writing , puts the cubic radial coefficient at , including the contribution from the quadratic terms.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2002 iii Paper 56 2 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
At , the two branches meet at . The eigenvalues there are and . For , the nonzero quadratic term and transverse stability identify a saddle-node bifurcation. If , it creates a sink equilibrium and a saddle equilibrium as increases; if , it creates a source equilibrium and a saddle equilibrium. At , the zero eigenvalue is double and the ordinary saddle-node description needs the two-parameter unfolding.
At , the origin and lower branch cross. Since , the branches cross transversely in the diagram. The origin changes from a sink equilibrium to a saddle equilibrium as increases through zero; the lower branch changes from a positive- saddle equilibrium to a negative- sink equilibrium. This is a transcritical bifurcation. A local centre-manifold calculation also gives , because and the transverse eigenvalue is .

