ME261: Differential Equations

Aug–Dec 2023
Assignment 1 Due: Sep. 07, 2023

Answer the questions below. If appropriate, please box your final expression/ result.

Question 1: Population growth

A very commmon model for population growth (e.g., deer) is given by logistic equation:
 
dN N
= αN 1 − (1)
dt β

where N is the number of individuals in the population, α is the growth rate and β is
the carrying capacity of the environment.
(a) Solve the above ODE with the initial conditions N (0) = N0
(b) Is there a steady state population? How does it change with β? Can you explain
the physical significance?
(c) Perform a linear stability analysis of all the fixed points in this model. When do
you expect a bifurcation?
(d) If you were an ecologist and were required to start a new national park for deer,
how would you pick α and β?

Question 2: The Allee effect

For certain species of organisms, the effective growth rate Ṅ /N is highest at intermediate
N . This is the called the Allee effect. For example, imagine that it is too hard to find
mates when N is very small, and there is too much competition for food and other
resources when N is large.
1 dN
= r − a(N − b)2 (2)
N dt
(a) Show that Eq. 2 provides an example of Allee effect, if r,a, and b satisfy certain
constraints, to be determined.
(b) Find all the fixed points of the system and classify their stability.
(c) Sketch the solutions N (t) for different initial conditions.
(d) Compare the solutions N (t) to those found for the logistic equation. What are the
qualitative differences, if any?

Question 3: Modified supercritical pitchfork

Consider the system

ẋ = rx + ax2 − x3 , where − ∞ < a < ∞ (3)

When a= 0, we have the normal form for the supercritical pitchfork discussed in class.
The goal of this exercise is to study the effects of the new parameter a. For each a, there
ME261 ODE Assignment 1, Page 2 of 2 Due: Sep. 07, 2023

is a bifurcation diagram of x∗ vs r. As a varies, these bifurcation diagrams can undergo

qualitative changes. Sketch all the qualitatively different bifurcation diagrams that can
be obtained by varying a.

Question 4: The leaky cauldron

Consider a water bucket with a hole in the bottom. Let h(t) be the height of the water
remaining in the bucket at time t; a = be the area of hole; A = cross-sectional area of
bucket (assumed constant here); v(t) = velocity of the water passing through the hole.
(a) Derive the governing equation for h(t). What physical law are you invoking?
(b) We need additional equation for v(t) to solve the above governing equation (Hint :
use conservation of energy). Let H be the initial height of the water in the bucket,
can you find the time T at which the bucket will be empty?
(c) If you see an empty bucket, can you figure out when the bucket was full?

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