This tutorial will show you how to create files and run XPP as well as give you a brief overview of dynamical systems.

Technical Setup

In order to run this tutorial properly, you must alter your .mailcap and .mime.types files so that the viewer knows what to do with the XPP files that are used in the tutorial. If you already have these files in your home directory, just add the lines in the two files to your existing ones. You also must be able to run XPP on your local machine. The command to call XPP must be xpp (The default compiled version is xppaut thus, you should make a link to that called xpp or just change it's name. Or, just change the xpp in the .mime.types and .mailcap files to xppaut .)

Since this tutorial takes a long time to run you might want to try it locally rather than over the network. In that case, get the compressed tarred files put them in a directory, uncompress and untar them. Then load start.html into your viewer.

How do I get XPP?

Just ftp the program from ftp.math.pitt.edu/pub/bardware and pick up xppaut1.x.tar.Z and (possibly) f2clibs.tar.Z or just pick up the binary for your computer.

Comments?

Table of Contents

It is usually best to go through the various sections in order, but you can jump to any heading by clicking on it.

Creating and running an ODE file

Nonlinear ODEs

Fixed quantities

Multiple equilibria and hysteresis
Numerics menu
Creating another window

AUTO for the first time
Two parameter curves and the cusp

Two-dimensional systems

Periodics and phase-plane analysis

The Hopf bifurcation theorem -- AUTO II

Beyond 2 dimensions

Phase equations

Chaos

References