MATHEMATICAL MODELLING: NUMERICAL INTEGRATION AND PHASE
PORTRAITS OF CONSERVATIVE PLANAR VECTOR FIELDS
SANSONETTO NICOLA
Exercise 1. Consider the equation of the harmonic oscillator
ẍ = −x , x ∈ R.
i. Draw the phase portrait using the energy integral;
ii. Determine the equilibria and their linear properties;
iii. Draw the phase portrait integrating numerically the orbits, comparing three different methods
of integration: explicit Euler method, Runge–Kutta method of order 2, the default integrator
of the program you use.1
Exercise 2. Consider the Newton equation
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p
ẍ = −f 0 (x) , x ∈ R, with f (x) = − 1 + x2 − e−x +1 + 3 .
i. Draw the phase portrait using the energy integral;
ii. Determine the equilibria and their linear properties;
iii. Draw the phase portrait integrating numerically the orbits, comparing three different methods
of integration: explicit Euler method, Runge–Kutta method of order 2, the default integrator
of the program you use.
Exercise 3. Consider the equation of the Lotka–Volterra system
ẋ = ax − bxy , ẏ = −cy + dxy ,
with a, b, c, d positive constants.
i. Verify that the Lotka–Volterra system admits the first integral
e(dx+by)
W (x, y) = .
xc y a
From now on set a = b = c = d = 1.
ii Draw the phase portrait using the first integral above;
iii. Determine the equilibria and thier linear properties;
iv. Draw the phase portrait integrating numerically the orbits using the methods of integration
you prefer.
Exercise 4. Consider the equation of motion of a simple pendulum
ẍ = − sin x , x ∈ [−π, π[ ,
Draw the phase portrait of the system exploiting the existence of the energy integral and integrating
numerically the orbits (choose the numerical integrator you prefer).
Date: 06/10/2020.
e-mail: [Link]@[Link].
1You can find here the link to the M-files of the reference book and here the link to the code by prof. Caliari to
integration methods.
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