MA 2431 B 06 Project

November 28, 2006

Introduction

For the project component of MA 2431, you are to use the tools we have learned in class
to analyze a particular model. The second part of this document suggests models from
which to choose. If you are interested in a model that is not one of the suggested ones,
you must get approval from me first.
You will write up your results in the form of a report, the format of which is described
below. I recommend that you work in teams of two to four students on this project.

Schedule
1. November 28. Project handed out.
2. December 4. A one paragraph project report, listing your team members, the model
you have chosen to analyze, and summarizing your work to date.
3. December 11. Draft written reports, summarizing your results. Comments will be
returned on Tuesday.
4. December 11, 12, and 14 oral reports in class. Schedule TBA.
5. December 14. Final written reports due.

Model Analysis

This section describes what it means to analyze a model. The ultimate goal in analyzing
a model is to understand all of its dynamic behavior. If the model contains parameters,
then part of analysis is determining how the dynamic behavior of the model changes
as the parameters vary. Understanding all of the behavior exhibited by a model can
be a very difficult and, in some cases, impossible task, so it is best to start with the
simplest parts of the analysis. The typical steps, in order of difficulty, are given below.
Realistically, we can handle only the first three steps below, but using Maple will allow
you to attack at least some of the other steps.

1. Put the model equations in dimensionless form. This reduces the number of parameters and simplifies the analysis.
2. Find the fixed points of the model. For some models, this step is fairly simple. For
others, this can be hard work.
3. Determine the stability of the fixed points. Especially important are where fixed
points are not hyperbolic, because they form part of the boundaries for different
qualitative behavior of the model.
4. Investigation of the non-hyperbolic fixed points. The only cases that we can begin
to handle are a single zero eigenvalue (limit point or transcritical bifurcation) or a
pair of pure imaginary eigenvalues (Hopf bifurcation).
5. Investigation of periodic behavior. If Hopf bifurcations occur in a model, they generally result in periodic solutions. Investigation of these periodic solutions almost
always has to be done numerically.
6. More exotic behavior. In models of dimension three or higher or forced two dimensional models, lots of interesting things can happen, including chaos. Again,
numerical investigation is usually necessary.

Project Report

First, a few words about technical reports. A technical report is intended to provide
information to the reader. It is not an essay. You should strive for directness, simplicity,
and readability. Write your report as if you were explaining your work to another student
in the class. That is, you must not assume that the reader already knows all about the
subject. It is up to you to provide the reader with the information he needs to understand
what you have done and why.
Your report should be organized around the following sections. Aim your report at
explaining the project and your work on it to other students. I am not the audience for
your reports. Your project report should contain enough information so that a group of
students with similar backgrounds could duplicate your work.
I Introduction
This part of the report should state clearly what the project is about, including
a brief statement of the problem and a summary of your work. This part should
contain enough information to give a reader an idea of what you did. It should
also describe the structure of the rest of the report, so that a reader interested in
specific information knows where to find it.
II Background
This section should contain a more detailed description of the model. You should
include some background on the model, giving details of the physical situation it
models and an explanation of the terms appearing in the differential equations for
your model.
2

III Analysis
This section should explain your analysis and present your results to the reader. It
should be detailed enough that another group could duplicate your work.
IV Conclusions
In this section, you should summarize your results and relate them to the physical
situation the model is supposed to describe. This is also a good place to criticize
the model and make suggestions for its improvement.

Models

This section provides all of the model equations for the models you can use for the
project. For the models that have lots of parameters, or are otherwise difficult to work
with, suggested parameter sets are provided.

5.1

Gray-Scott model

This is a simple model of what is called autocatalytic behavior in chemical systems. Gray
and Scott are two English chemists, who came up with a simple model of autocatalytic
behavior in chemical systems. Autocatalysis is thought to be important in many chemical
systems which exhibit oscillations or other exotic behavior.
The model is based on the following chemical reactions
A + 2B *
) 3B
B *
) C
in a CSTR. If a, b, and c are the concentrations of species A, B, and C then using massaction kinetics and mass balance principles, the following system of differential equations
is obtained.
a = k1 ab2 k1 b3 + kf (a0 a)
b = k1 ab2 k1 b3 k2 b + k2 c + kf (b0 b)
c = k2 b k2 c + kf c0 c
where kf is q/V and a0 , b0 , and c0 are the concentrations of the species in the feed to
the CSTR.
In dimensionless form, the model equations appear below, where u, v, and w are the
dimensionless forms of the concentrations of A, B, and C.
u = uv 2 + 1 v 3 + (1 u)
v = uv 2 1 v 3 v + 3 w + (2 v)
w = v 3 w + (3 w)
Where , , 2 , 3 , 1 , and 3 are positive constants.

The model as written above has three components, but adding the three equations
together gives the linear equation
(u + v + w) = (1 + 2 + 3 u v w)
which can be solved analytically to show that asymptotically the solution of the GrayScott model always satisfies
u + v + w = 1 + 2 + 3 .
This equation can be solved for w and the result substituted in the Gray-Scott model
equations to obtain the two-dimensional system The two equations that describe longterm behavior of this model are given below.
u = uv 2 + 1 v 3 + (1 u)
v = uv 2 1 v 3 v + 3 (1 + 2 + 3 u v) + (2 v)
This model has six parameters; they must all be non-negative. For your investigations,
I would suggest that you use the values 1 = 0.1, 3 = 0.02, 3 = 0.4, = 20 and restrict
2 to the range 0.05 2 0.2.

5.2

Fitzhugh-Nagumo model

This is a famous model of impulses in nerves. The version usually seen has a timedependent forcing term, but understanding the unforced system is always the first step
of the analysis. The model equations we will use are given below. The derivation of this
model is complicated, but u can be related to the voltage across the nerve axon and v
is what is called a recovery variable. That is, v represents forces that tend to return the
nerve axon to its undisturbed state.
u3
u = Av + Bu D
3
v = u + K Ev
A dimensionaless form of this model is given below.
x3
x = c y + x
3
(x a + by)
y =
c
The parameters in this model are all positive.

5.3

Predator-Prey Model

This is a more realistic model of a predator-prey interaction. The differential equations

appear below.
N
kP
N = N r 1

K
N +D
!
hP
P = sP 1
N


where P represents the population of predator, and N the population of the prey and
the parameters r, K, k, D, s, and and h are all positive.
In dimensionless form, the differential equations become.
auv
)
u+d


u = u(1 u)


v = bv 1

5.4

v
u

Magneto-Elastic Beam

This is a model of a cantilevered steel beam suspended between magnets in a frame. The
whole frame can be shaken from side to side. The model equation is given below.
mu00 + au0 ku + bu3 = F cos(t)
In dimensionless form, the differential equation becomes
x00 + x0 x + x3 = cos(t)
where the simplifying assumption that k = m has been used.
Since this is a non-autonomous model, your analysis should begin by carrying out
steps 1-5 for the autonomous version with = 0. Once you have done this, you can start
to investigate the forced system.