Description

This heavily illustrated book collects in one source most of the mathematically simple systems of differential equations whose solutions are chaotic. It includes the historically important systems of van der Pol, Duffing, Ueda, Lorenz, Rössler, and many others, but it goes on to show that there are many other systems that are simpler and more elegant. Many of these systems have been only recently discovered and are not widely known. Most cases include plots of the attractor and calculations of the spectra of Lyapunov exponents. Some important cases include graphs showing the route to chaos. The book includes many cases not previously published as well as examples of simple electronic circuits that exhibit chaos.No existing book thus far focuses on mathematically elegant chaotic systems. This book should therefore be of interest to chaos researchers looking for simple systems to use in their studies, to instructors who want examples to teach and motivate students, and to students doing independent study.