Search results for "vector fields"
showing 10 items of 17 documents
Plane foliations with a saddle singularity
2012
Abstract We study the set of planar vector fields with a unique singularity of hyperbolic saddle type. We found conditions to assure that a such vector field is topologically equivalent to a linear saddle. Furthermore, we describe the plane foliations associated to these vector fields. Such a foliation can be split in two subfoliations. One without restriction and another one that is topologically characterized by means of trees.
On singularities of discontinuous vector fields
2003
Abstract The subject of this paper concerns the classification of typical singularities of a class of discontinuous vector fields in 4D. The focus is on certain discontinuous systems having some symmetric properties.
Abelian integrals and limit cycles
2006
Abstract The paper deals with generic perturbations from a Hamiltonian planar vector field and more precisely with the number and bifurcation pattern of the limit cycles. In this paper we show that near a 2-saddle cycle, the number of limit cycles produced in unfoldings with one unbroken connection, can exceed the number of zeros of the related Abelian integral, even if the latter represents a stable elementary catastrophe. We however also show that in general, finite codimension of the Abelian integral leads to a finite upper bound on the local cyclicity. In the treatment, we introduce the notion of simple asymptotic scale deformation.
Visual understanding of divergence and curl: Visual cues promote better learning
2019
Prior research has shown that students struggle to indicate whether vector field plots have zero or non-zero curl or divergence. In an instruction-based eye-tracking study, we investigated whether visual cues (VC) provided in the vector field plot can foster students’ understanding of these concepts. The VC were only present during instruction and highlighted conceptual information about vector decomposition and partial derivatives. Thirty-two physics majors were assigned to two groups, one was instructed with VC about the problemsolving strategy, and one without. The results show that students in VC-condition performed better, responded with higher confidence, experienced less mental effor…
Instruction-based clinical eye-tracking study on the visual interpretation of divergence : how do students look at vector field plots?
2018
Relating mathematical concepts to graphical representations is a challenging task for students. In this paper, we introduce two visual strategies to qualitatively interpret the divergence of graphical vector field representations. One strategy is based on the graphical interpretation of partial derivatives, while the other is based on the flux concept. We test the effectiveness of both strategies in an instruction-based eye-tracking study with N = 41 physics majors. We found that students’ performance improved when both strategies were introduced (74% correct) instead of only one strategy (64% correct), and students performed best when they were free to choose between the two strategies (88…
Relationship between volume and energy of vector fields
2001
Abstract A unified study of energy and volume functionals is presented here by determining the critical points of a functional that extends simultaneously energy and volume and that is defined on the product of the manifold of smooth maps C∞(M,N) times the manifold M of riemannian metrics on M. The restriction of this functional to different submanifolds of the space of vector fields X (M)× M is also considered, and used to study several functionals generalizing volume and energy or total bending of vector fields
Lipschitz Carnot-Carathéodory Structures and their Limits
2022
AbstractIn this paper we discuss the convergence of distances associated to converging structures of Lipschitz vector fields and continuously varying norms on a smooth manifold. We prove that, under a mild controllability assumption on the limit vector-fields structure, the distances associated to equi-Lipschitz vector-fields structures that converge uniformly on compact subsets, and to norms that converge uniformly on compact subsets, converge locally uniformly to the limit Carnot-Carathéodory distance. In the case in which the limit distance is boundedly compact, we show that the convergence of the distances is uniform on compact sets. We show an example in which the limit distance is not…
Melnikov functions and Bautin ideal
2001
The computation of the number of limit cycles which appear in an analytic unfolding of planar vector fields is related to the decomposition of the displacement function of this unfolding in an ideal of functions in the parameter space, called the Ideal of Bautin. On the other hand, the asymptotic of the displacement function, for 1-parameter unfoldings of hamiltonian vector fields is given by Melnikov functions which are defined as the coefficients of Taylor expansion in the parameter. It is interesting to compare these two notions and to study if the general estimations of the number of limit cycles in terms of the Bautin ideal could be reduced to the computations of Melnikov functions for…
Existence and uniqueness of solutions to superdifferential equations
1993
Abstract We state and prove the theorem of existence and uniqueness of solutions to ordinary superdifferential equations on supermanifolds. It is shown that any supervector field, X = X0 + X1, has a unique integral flow, Г: R 1¦1 x (M, AM) → (M, AM), satisfying a given initial condition. A necessary and sufficient condition for this integral flow to yield an R 1¦1-action is obtained: the homogeneous components, X0, and, X1, of the given field must define a Lie superalgebra of dimension (1, 1). The supergroup structure on R 1¦1, however, has to be specified: there are three non-isomorphic Lie supergroup structures on R 1¦1, all of which have addition as the group operation in the underlying …