Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2003 iii Paper 59 2 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let and . The eigenvalues at the conductive equilibrium point are and , both negative since and . The coupled Jacobian matrix has characteristic polynomialwhereA simple zero eigenvalue occurs on . The reflection , with fixed, makes its generic steady-state bifurcation a pitchfork bifurcation.
For a nonzero imaginary pair, substitute into : the real and imaginary parts require and . HenceWith , this Hopf bifurcation curve is present only for . At its intersection with the pitchfork bifurcation curve,and . The zero eigenvalue has geometric multiplicity one: its eigenvector has , . Thus this is a reflection-symmetric Bogdanov–Takens bifurcation, rather than two independent zero modes.
The Routh-Hurwitz stability criterion gives the stable trivial state below for and below for . The rest of the line , beyond , is a stationary bifurcation of an already unstable trivial state. Likewise the extension of below is only an algebraic line, since its putative frequency is not real. The middle panel of the bifurcation diagram in part 1(b) distinguishes the actual curves from this extension.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2011 ii Paper 3 14C i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
A steady-state bifurcation is a change in the local equilibrium branches or their stability as a parameter varies. At such a bifurcation the Jacobian matrix at the equilibrium has a zero eigenvalue, so the implicit function argument for a unique persistent local equilibrium fails.
For this system,At its eigenvalues are ; at they are . Both have one simple zero eigenvalue at , with the other eigenvalue negative. Interior equilibrium branches, obtained below, meet these boundary equilibria there, establishing the actual bifurcations rather than merely a necessary eigenvalue test.