To understand that the equation for the nonlinear pendulum with damping
can be analyzed by examining , where is the Hamiltonian function for the ideal pendulum. The function for this system is an example of a Lyapunov function.
To find the nullclines of the nonlinear pendulum, let
The -nullcline is , while the -nullcline is
It follows that the equilibrium solutions for the nonlinear pendulum occur at
This makes sense since the pendulum should not move if the bob is initially hanging downward () or is at the very top or the very bottom of a swing (). Since our first goal is to determine the nature of each equilibrium solution, we will compute the Jacobian of the system (5.3.1)–(5.3.2). This is just
At the equilibrium solutions , the pendulum is hanging downward, and the Jacobian matrix becomes
On the other hand, if , the pendulum is at the top of its swing, and the Jacobian matrix is
Now let us consider the type of equilibrium solutions that we will obtain when the pendulum is standing upright. These solutions will occur at . The characteristic polynomial of the Jacobian matrix at these points is
hence, the eigenvalues of are
(5.3.4)
Furthermore, we have distinct real eigenvalues since
We can now devise a strategy for sketching the phase plane of the damped pendulum. If and are both small, the value of decreases slowly along the solutions (Figure 5.3.1).
The function in the case of the damped pendulum is an example of a Lyapunov function. Specifically, a function is called a Lyapunov function for the system
if for every solution of the system, , that is not an equilibrium solution of the system,
with strict inequality except possible for a discrete set of s.
As an example, let us return to the damped harmonic oscillator
If , then
is a Hamiltonian function for our system. Recall that we also call the energy function of the system. However, if and is a solution for our system, we have
Consequently, decreases at a nonzero rate (except when ), and is a Lyapunov function. The level sets of are ellipses in the -plane. As decreases, the energy dissipates and the ellipses become spiral sinks.
has an equilibrium solution at the origin no matter what the value of is. The Jacobian of this system is
Since our equilibrium solution is the origin,
and the linearization of our system at the origin is
Since the eigenvalues of
are , the linearization has a center at the origin. The phase plane consists of circles about the origin (Figure 5.3.2). Notice that the linearization does not depend on .
Now let us consider what happens to system (5.3.5)–(5.3.6) if we consider different values of . If , the situation is quite different than the linearization of our system. A solution curve spirals out from the origin as (Figure 5.3.4). As , the solution curve spirals back into the origin, but it seems to stop before actually reaching the origin. If on the other hand, we seem to have the opposite behavior with the solution curves spiraling into the origin as . As before, the solutions do not seem to reach the origin (Figure 5.3.3).
Suppose that is a solution to the nonlinear system. The function
is the distance of a point on the solution curve to the origin in the -plane. To see how changes as , we can compute the derivative of . Actually, it is easier to work with the equation . Thus,
Equation (5.3.7) is separable, and it is quite easy to determine the solution as
However, we do not need to know this solution to determine the nature of the equilibrium solution at the origin. If and , equation (5.3.7) tells us that . Thus, any solution to the system (5.3.5)–(5.3.6) we have a spiral sink at the origin if . Even though linearization fails to tell us the nature of the equilibrium solution at the origin, we were able to determine the nature of the equilibrium solution with further analysis.
We will now try to exploit what we have learned from our last example and from Hamiltonian systems to see if it is possible to analyze more general systems. If we consider solutions, , of the system
we might ask how a function varies along the solution curve. We already have an answer if our system is Hamiltonian, and is the corresponding Hamiltonian function. In this case . In general, we know that
Thus, if we let
we know that
Thus, is increasing along a solution curve if and decreasing along a solution curve if . Our example suggests that we can determine this information without finding the solution.
Let us use this new information about to obtain information about equilibrium solutions of our system. We do know that graphs as a surface in and
constant
gives the contour lines or level curves of the surface in the -plane. 1
See Figures 1 and 2 in John Polking, Albert Boggess, and David Arnold. {\it Differential Equations}. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2001, p. 611.
We also know that the gradient of points in the direction that is increasing the fastest and that the gradient is orthogonal to the level curves of . Thus, if , we know that is increasing in the direction of the vector field and the elevation of the solution curve through in is increasing. That is, the solution curve is traveling uphill. Similarly, if , we know that the solution curve at is going downhill. 2
The argument that we have made here also works in higher dimensions.
Now suppose that is a real-valued function defined on a set in the -plane, where the point is in . We say that is positive definite if for all in , where , and is positive semidefinite if . Similarly, we say that is negative definite and negative semidefinite if and , respectively.
has an equilibrium solution at . Let be a continuously differentiable function defined on a neighborhood of that is positive definite with minimum at .
If is negative semidefinite on , then is a stable equilibrium solution. That is, any solution that starts near the equilibrium solution will stay near the equilibrium solution.
The function in Theorem 5.3.5 is called a Lyapunov function. If we compare Theorem 1 to using linearization to determine stability of an equilibrium solution, we will find that we can apply this result where linearization fails. Also, Lyapunov functions are defined on a domain , where linearization only tells us what happens on a small neighborhood around the equilibrium solution. Unfortunately, there are no general ways of finding Lyapunov functions.
Let be a real-valued function on the -plane. The gradient of is
The system
is a gradient system if
For example, the system
is a gradient system, where
Now, let us see what happens on the solution curves of this gradient system. If is a solution curve,
Thus, increases at the point on the solution curve where the gradient of is nonzero. That is, increases at every point on the solution curve except at the equilibrium points.
The equation for the nonlinear pendulum with damping
can be analyzed by examining , where is the Hamiltonian function for the ideal pendulum. The function for this system is an example of a Lyapunov function.
has an equilibrium solution at . Let be a continuously differentiable function defined on a neighborhood of that is positive definite with minimum at .
If is negative semidefinite on , then is a stable equilibrium solution. That is, any solution that starts near the equilibrium solution will stay near the equilibrium solution.
We can use these results to analyze the behavior of equilibrium solutions where linearization fails. The function is called a Lyapunov function. We have no general methods for finding Lyapunov functions.
where is a real-valued function on the -plane. Since
increases on every solution to the system except at the critical points of . Since the eigenvalues of a gradient system are real, a gradient system has no spiral sources, spiral sinks, or centers.
Consider each of the functions in Exercise Group 5.3.6.1–6 on a neighborhood of . Determine if the function is positive definite, positive semidefinite, negative definite, negative semidefinite, or none of the previous. Justify your conclusion.
Lobsters are a family (Nephropidae, synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on rocky, sandy, or muddy bottoms from the shoreline to beyond the edge of the continental shelf. Lobsters are omnivores and typically eat live prey such as fish, mollusks, other crustaceans, worms, and some plant life. They scavange if necessary. Because lobsters live in murky environments at the bottom of the ocean, they mostly use their antennae as sensors. Lobsters can "smell" their food by using four small antennae on the front of their heads and tiny sensing hairs that cover their bodies.
Let us assume that a lobster moves in a plane. If the position of the lobster is at time , then the lobster will head in the direction of a velocity vector, , at time . If is the concentration of the chemicals emanating from a potential food source, say a dead fish, then the lobster will move in the direction of the greatest increase . However, this direction is just the gradient vector of ,. Therefore, the motion of the lobster is described by the system