In this lecture, the relationship between nonlinear systems and first-order ODEs is explored, as well as the structural stability of a system and borderline sketching cases. The lecturer uses Volterra's equation and principle to illustrate these concepts. The conversion of a nonlinear system to a first-order equation is discussed, and the benefits and drawbacks of losing information, such as eliminating time from the solution, are examined. A simple example of a predator-prey equation is used to demonstrate these concepts and highlight the three points needed to analyze nonlinear systems effectively.
Relation Between Non-linear Systems and First-order ODEs; Structural Stability of a System, Borderline Sketching Cases; Illustrations Using Volterra's Equation and Principle -- Lecture 33. A bunch of topics all shoved into one huge lecture.
Arthur Mattuck, 18.03 Differential Equations, Spring 2006. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare), http://ocw.mit.edu (Accessed November 29, 2008). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA.
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