Postgraduate Physics 2015-2016

This course covers the fundamental mathematical concepts required for the description of dynamical systems, i.e., systems that change in time. It discusses nonlinear systems, for which typically no analytical solutions can be found; these systems are pivotal for the description of natural systems in physics, engineering, biology etc. Emphasis will be on the study of phase spaces.

Next to the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics, chaos and dynamical systems theory is been considered as one of three major advances in the natural sciences. This course offers the mathematics behind this paradigm changing theory.

This course was designed to show you what you can do with everything you learnt in your degree. We will use mathematical techniques to describe a fast variety of “real-world” systems: spreading of infectious diseases, onset of war, opinion formation, social systems, reliability of a space craft, patterns on the fur of animals (morphogenesis), formation of galaxies, traffic jams and others. This course will boost your employability and it will be exciting to see how everything you learnt comes together.