ENGR 091. Nonlinear Dynamics & Chaos

This course will introduce students to the exciting field of nonlinear dynamics and chaos, with an emphasis on its applications in the sciences broadly and in engineering specifically. Emphasis will be placed on the interpretation and analysis of the behavior of systems governed by nonlinear differential equations, including but not limited to mechanical, electrical, biological, chemical and social processes. Topics will include fixed points, stability, potentials, bifurcations, and the phase plane. Chaos will be introduced in a mathematically rigorous way, and students will learn how to quantify and interpret chaos – as opposed to randomness – when it occurs in systems of engineering and scientific interest.
Prerequisite: ENGR 006, ENGR 012, ENGR 021, MATH 033/MATH 034/MATH 035 with C- or better, and MATH 043/MATH 044 with C- or better; or permission of the instructor.
Natural science and engineering.
Special topics courses will normally include a lab, substantial project, or the equivalent.
1 credit.
Catalog chapter: Engineering
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/engineering

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