Nonlinear Dynamics, 2013

Homework 1
1. Consider the linear systems described by x(t ) Ax(t ) , with the system matrix given by:

6 3
2 1
0 1
1 1
(i) A1
; (ii) A2
; (iii) A3
; (iv) A4

4 3
1 1
2 1
1 0
1 2
(v) A5
.
0 1
a. Find the explicit solution for some initial condition x0
b. Classify the stability of the origin.
c. Draw the phase portrait.

2. Consider the nonlinear systems

(i)

x1 2 x1 x1x2
x2 2 x12 x2

;(ii)

x1 x1 x2 x12 x2 x23
x2 x13 x22 x1 x22

a. Find all the equilibrium points.

b. Simulate a number of trajectories of the system with initial conditions fixed in the
vicinity of the equilibrium points.
c. Draw the phase portrait.
d. Determine the type of stability for each isolated equilibrium point.
3. Consider the nonlinear system

x1 x1 x2 x1 ( x12 x22 )
x2 x1 x2 x2 ( x12 x22 )

x1 x2
x12 x22
x12
x12 x22

a. Show that (1,0) is an equilibrium point.

b. Simulate a number of trajectories of the system with initial conditions fixed in the
vicinity of the equilibrium point.
c. Draw the phase portrait.
d. Determine the type of stability for the given equilibrium point.
4. Consider the nonlinear system
x1 x23 4 x1
x2 x23 x2 3x1

a. Find all the equilibrium points.

b. Using linearization, classify the stability of the fixed points.
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c. Show that the line x1 x2 is an invariant set in the sense that any trajectory that starts
on this line stays on the line forever.
d. Show that limt | x1(t ) x2 (t ) | 0 for all state trajectories of the system (Hint: write
the differential equation satisfied by x1 x2 ).
e. Draw the phase portrait on the domain [20, 20] [20, 20] and plot a number of
trajectories of this system with initial conditions fixed in on the boundary of the
considered domain.
f. Comment on the behavior of this system.
5. Consider the system

x1 x2 x3 1
x2 x1 x3 x2
x3 x32 (1 x3 )
a. Show that the system has a unique equilibrium point.
b. Using linearization, show that the equilibrium point is asymptotically stable. Is it
globally asymptotically stable?

Homework 2
6. Using a quadratic Lyapunov function show that the origin is a locally asymptotically stable
equilibrium point for the system

x1 x12 x1 x2
x2 x1

corrected

x1 x12 x1 x2
x2 x1

7. Consider the system

x1 x1
x2 ( x1x2 1) x23 ( x1x2 1 x12 ) x2
a. Show that the system has a unique equilibrium point.
b. Using linearization, show that the equilibrium point is asymptotically stable.
c. Show that the set x 2 | x1x2 2 is positively invariant with respect to the

system.
8. Consider the system

x1 x1 x13 x2
x2 3x1 x2
a. Find all the equilibrium points.
b. Using linearization, study the stability of each equilibrium point.
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c. Using quadratic Lyapunov functions, estimate the region of attraction of each

asymptotically stable equilibrium point.
d. Draw the phase portrait of the system and show on it the exact regions of attraction as
well as your estimates.
9. Consider the controlled nonlinear system represented in the figure below with (i) P( s)
or, equivalently, x u ; (ii) P( s)
x

1
s ( s 1)

1
s2

, or, equivalently, x x u .
u

a. Give the state space description of the closed loop system, considering the states
x1 x and x2 x .
b. Find all the equilibrium points.
c. Using linearization, study the stability of each equilibrium point.
d. Draw the phase portrait of the nonlinear system.
e. Verify if the origin is stable by means of the Lyapunov stability theorem using the
Lyapunov function candidate ( x1, x2 ) 14 x14 12 x22 .