Difference Equations: From Rabbits to Chaos

Last updated

Difference Equations: From Rabbits to Chaos is an undergraduate-level textbook on difference equations, a type of recurrence relation in which the values of a sequence are determined by equations involving differences of successive terms of the sequence. It was written by Paul Cull, Mary Flahive, and Robby Robson, and published by Springer-Verlag in their Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics series (Vol. 111, 2005, doi:10.1007/0-387-27645-9, ISBN   978-0-387-23233-1). [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Topics

After an introductory chapter on the Fibonacci numbers and the rabbit population dynamics example based on these numbers that Fibonacci introduced in his book Liber Abaci , the book includes chapters on homogeneous linear equations, finite difference equations and generating functions, nonnegative difference equations and roots of characteristic polynomials, the Leslie matrix in population dynamics, matrix difference equations and Markov chains, recurrences in modular arithmetic, algorithmic applications of fast Fourier transforms, and nonlinear difference equations and dynamical systems. [1] [2] [3] [4] Four appendices include a set of worked problems, background on complex numbers and linear algebra, and a method of Morris Marden for testing whether the sequence defined by a difference equation converges to zero. [4]

Other books on similar topics include A Treatise on the Calculus of Finite Differences by George Boole, Introduction to Difference Equations by S. Goldberg, [5] Difference Equations: An Introduction with Applications by W. G. Kelley and A. C. Peterson, An Introduction to Difference Equations by S. Elaydi, Theory of Difference Equations: An Introduction by V. Lakshmikantham and D. Trigiante, and Difference Equations: Theory and Applications by R. E. Mickens. However, From Rabbits to Chaos places a greater emphasis on computation than theory compared to some of these other books. [4] Reviewer Henry Ricardo writes that the book is "more suitable to an undergraduate course" than its alternatives, despite being less in-depth, because of its greater accessibility and connection to application areas. [1] Similarly, reviewer Shandelle Henson calls From Rabbits to Chaos "well written and easy to read" but adds that it is not "comprehensive or up-to-date". [3]

Related Research Articles

Chaos theory field of mathematics about dynamical systems highly sensitive to initial conditions

Chaos theory is a branch of mathematics focusing on the study of chaos—states of dynamical systems whose apparently-random states of disorder and irregularities are often governed by deterministic laws that are highly sensitive to initial conditions. Chaos theory is an interdisciplinary theory stating that, within the apparent randomness of chaotic complex systems, there are underlying patterns, interconnectedness, constant feedback loops, repetition, self-similarity, fractals, and self-organization. The butterfly effect, an underlying principle of chaos, describes how a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state. A metaphor for this behavior is that a butterfly flapping its wings in China can cause a hurricane in Texas.

Discrete mathematics Study of discrete mathematical structures

Discrete mathematics is the study of mathematical structures that are fundamentally discrete rather than continuous. In contrast to real numbers that have the property of varying "smoothly", the objects studied in discrete mathematics – such as integers, graphs, and statements in logic – do not vary smoothly in this way, but have distinct, separated values. Discrete mathematics therefore excludes topics in "continuous mathematics" such as calculus or Euclidean geometry. Discrete objects can often be enumerated by integers. More formally, discrete mathematics has been characterized as the branch of mathematics dealing with countable sets. However, there is no exact definition of the term "discrete mathematics." Indeed, discrete mathematics is described less by what is included than by what is excluded: continuously varying quantities and related notions.

Dynamical system mathematical model which describes the time dependence of a point in a geometrical space

In mathematics, a dynamical system is a system in which a function describes the time dependence of a point in a geometrical space. Examples include the mathematical models that describe the swinging of a clock pendulum, the flow of water in a pipe, and the number of fish each springtime in a lake.

Fibonacci number integer in the infinite Fibonacci sequence

In mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers, commonly denoted Fn, form a sequence, called the Fibonacci sequence, such that each number is the sum of the two preceding ones, starting from 0 and 1. That is,

Linear algebra Branch of mathematics

Linear algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning linear equations such as

In mathematics, a recurrence relation is an equation that recursively defines a sequence or multidimensional array of values, once one or more initial terms are given; each further term of the sequence or array is defined as a function of the preceding terms.

Dynamical systems theory area of mathematics used to describe the behavior of complex dynamical systems, usually by employing differential equations or difference equations

Dynamical systems theory is an area of mathematics used to describe the behavior of the complex dynamical systems, usually by employing differential equations or difference equations. When differential equations are employed, the theory is called continuous dynamical systems. From a physical point of view, continuous dynamical systems is a generalization of classical mechanics, a generalization where the equations of motion are postulated directly and are not constrained to be Euler–Lagrange equations of a least action principle. When difference equations are employed, the theory is called discrete dynamical systems. When the time variable runs over a set that is discrete over some intervals and continuous over other intervals or is any arbitrary time-set such as a cantor set, one gets dynamic equations on time scales. Some situations may also be modeled by mixed operators, such as differential-difference equations.

In mathematics, symbolic dynamics is the practice of modeling a topological or smooth dynamical system by a discrete space consisting of infinite sequences of abstract symbols, each of which corresponds to a state of the system, with the dynamics (evolution) given by the shift operator. Formally, a Markov partition is used to provide a finite cover for the smooth system; each set of the cover is associated with a single symbol, and the sequences of symbols result as a trajectory of the system moves from one covering set to another.

Congruum

In number theory, a congruum is the difference between successive square numbers in an arithmetic progression of three squares. That is, if x2, y2, and z2 are three square numbers that are equally spaced apart from each other, then the spacing between them, z2y2 = y2x2, is called a congruum.

Ordered Bell number

In number theory and enumerative combinatorics, the ordered Bell numbers or Fubini numbers count the number of weak orderings on a set of n elements. Starting from n = 0, these numbers are

Lloyd Nicholas Trefethen is a British mathematician, professor of numerical analysis and head of the Numerical Analysis Group at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford.

In computational mathematics, a matrix-free method is an algorithm for solving a linear system of equations or an eigenvalue problem that does not store the coefficient matrix explicitly, but accesses the matrix by evaluating matrix-vector products. Such methods can be preferable when the matrix is so big that storing and manipulating it would cost a lot of memory and computer time, even with the use of methods for sparse matrices. Many iterative methods allow for a matrix-free implementation, including:

Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics (UTM) is a series of undergraduate-level textbooks in mathematics published by Springer-Verlag. The books in this series, like the other Springer-Verlag mathematics series, are small yellow books of a standard size.

A Ducci sequence is a sequence of n-tuples of integers, sometimes known as "the Diffy game", because it is based on sequences.

Matrix (mathematics) Two-dimensional array of numbers with specific operations

In mathematics, a matrix is a rectangular array of numbers, symbols, or expressions, arranged in rows and columns. For example, the dimension of the matrix below is 2 × 3, because there are two rows and three columns:

A. H. Lightstone Canadian mathematician

Albert Harold Lightstone (1926–1976) was a Canadian mathematician. He was one of the pioneers of non-standard analysis, a doctoral student of Abraham Robinson, and later a co-author with Robinson of the book Nonarchimedean Fields and Asymptotic Expansions.

J. Laurie Snell American mathematician and economist

James Laurie Snell, often cited as J. Laurie Snell, was an American mathematician.

Mary Elizabeth Flahive is a professor of mathematics at Oregon State University. Her research interests are in number theory; she is the author of two books on difference equations and Diophantine approximation, and is also interested in the geometry of numbers and algebraic coding theory.

Shandelle Marie Henson is an American mathematician and mathematical biologist known for her work in population dynamics. She is a professor of mathematics and ecology at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, and the editor-in-chief of the journal Natural Resource Modeling.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ricardo, Henry (September 2005), "Review of Difference Equations", MAA Reviews
  2. 1 2 "Review of Difference Equations", Journal of Difference Equations and Applications, 11 (15): 1307–1308, December 2005, doi:10.1080/10236190500438316
  3. 1 2 3 Henson, Shandelle M. (2006), "Review of Difference Equations", Mathematical Reviews , MR   2131908
  4. 1 2 3 4 Peterson, Allan (March 2006), "Review of Difference Equations", SIAM Review , 48 (1): 194, JSTOR   20453784
  5. 1 2 Crilly, Tony (July 2007), "Review of Difference Equations", The Mathematical Gazette, 91 (521): 373–374, doi:10.1017/s0025557200181938, JSTOR   40378382