- #1
TheMercury79
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- TL;DR Summary
- Can we still show a unique critical point if we change one variable?
The plane autonomous system $$x' = -ax + xy\\y' = 1 - by - x^2$$ has a unique critical point when ##ab>1##
Since if we set x' = 0, then either x=0 or y=a
If y=a, then for y' = 0: ##1 - ab - x^2= 0## , but if ##ab>1## this leads to ##x^2<0## which has no solutions and thus ##y\ne a##
The only option left is to let x=0 so that ##y' = 1-by = 0##, so ##y=1/b##
Therefore ##(0 , 1/b)## is a unique critical point of the given plane autonomous system.
This is pretty straightforward, but consider instead a similar system with a slight difference: $$x' = -ax + xy\\y' = 1 - bx - x^2$$
How can you do the same process as above and show that this system has a unique critical point when ##ab>1##?
We had the second one on a test the other day and I couldn't get anywhere with it. I thought I recognized the question because the first
system is from the text-book and I suspect that the teacher intended to use the first system but mispelled y for x.
Though, I am reluctant to say anything to the teacher because I don't want to look silly, he could have switched the y and x intentionally
and it's just me that can't show what the unique critical point is. I tried and tried but couldn't show anything.
So, is it me or the teacher? I want to be sure before I point this out to him. Can it be shown that the second system has a unique critical point?
Since if we set x' = 0, then either x=0 or y=a
If y=a, then for y' = 0: ##1 - ab - x^2= 0## , but if ##ab>1## this leads to ##x^2<0## which has no solutions and thus ##y\ne a##
The only option left is to let x=0 so that ##y' = 1-by = 0##, so ##y=1/b##
Therefore ##(0 , 1/b)## is a unique critical point of the given plane autonomous system.
This is pretty straightforward, but consider instead a similar system with a slight difference: $$x' = -ax + xy\\y' = 1 - bx - x^2$$
How can you do the same process as above and show that this system has a unique critical point when ##ab>1##?
We had the second one on a test the other day and I couldn't get anywhere with it. I thought I recognized the question because the first
system is from the text-book and I suspect that the teacher intended to use the first system but mispelled y for x.
Though, I am reluctant to say anything to the teacher because I don't want to look silly, he could have switched the y and x intentionally
and it's just me that can't show what the unique critical point is. I tried and tried but couldn't show anything.
So, is it me or the teacher? I want to be sure before I point this out to him. Can it be shown that the second system has a unique critical point?
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