Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2001 iii Paper 51 1 f Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
To include the stable-variable lag in nilpotent center-manifold reduction, let . Invariance of the center manifold requiresFor the homogeneous polynomial , comparison of coefficients successively givesOnly is needed for the requested cubic normal form. The reduced first equation has ; the reduced second equation, obtained by replacing with in its cubic term, has and . Therefore the cubic elimination at a nilpotent double-zero point yieldsIn particular, ignoring the lag and imposing exactly would incorrectly give . The full cubic graph above provides a direct substitution check.