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Hadamard's dynamical system

Hadamard's dynamical system is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hadamard's dynamical system rather than just read about it. In short: In physics and mathematics, the Hadamard dynamical system (also called Hadamard's billiard or the Hadamard–Gutzwiller model) is a chaotic dynamical system, a type of dynamical billiards. Introduced by Jacques Hadamard in 1898, and studied by Martin Gutzwiller in the 1980s, The system considers the motion of a free (frictionless) particle on a surface with constant negative curvature.

Key takeaways

  • Hadamard's dynamical system belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Hadamard's dynamical system to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Hadamard's dynamical system from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In physics and mathematics, the Hadamard dynamical system (also called Hadamard's billiard or the Hadamard–Gutzwiller model) is a chaotic dynamical system, a type of dynamical billiards. Introduced by Jacques Hadamard in 1898, and studied by Martin Gutzwiller in the 1980s, The system considers the motion of a free (frictionless) particle on a surface with constant negative curvature.

History It is probably the first dynamical system to be proven chaotic , essentially proving that it bounces back and forward between multiple limit points in some shape of ergodic manner

Hadamard was able to show that every particle trajectory moves away from every other in an unstable and hyperbolic fashion, with a geometrical argument about the angles in between trajectories. In modern terminology this means that that the system is always unstable, what is more important is that all trajectories have a positive Lyapunov exponent and therefore chaotic behaviour. Hadamard had the intuition of chaos, but did not explicitly used the Lyapunov exponents or ergodic theory. Frank Steiner argues that Hadamard's study should be considered to be the first-ever examination of a chaotic dynamical system, and that Hadamard should be considered the first discoverer of chaos. He points out that the study was widely disseminated, and considers the impact of the ideas on the thinking of Albert Einstein and Ernst Mach. The system is particularly important in that in 1963, Yakov Sinai, in studying Sinai's billiards as a model of the classical ensemble of a Boltzmann–Gibbs gas, was able to show that the motion of the atoms in the gas follow the trajectories in the Hadamard dynamical system.

Exposition The motion studied is that of a free particle sliding frictionlessly on the surface, namely, one having the Hamiltonian

H ( p , q ) = 1 2 m p i p j g i j ( q ) {\displaystyle H(p,q)={\frac {1}{2m}}p_{i}p_{j}g^{ij}(q)}

where m is the mass of the particle, q i {\displaystyle q^{i}} , i = 1 , 2 {\displaystyle i=1,2} are the coordinates on the manifold, p i {\displaystyle p_{i}} are the conjugate momenta:

p i = m g i j d q j d t {\displaystyle p_{i}=mg_{ij}{\frac {dq^{j}}{dt}}}

and

d s 2 = g i j ( q ) d q i d q j {\displaystyle ds^{2}=g_{ij}(q)dq^{i}dq^{j}\,}

is the metric tensor on the manifold. Because this is the free-particle Hamiltonian, the solution to the Hamilton–Jacobi equations of motion are simply given by the geodesics on the manifold. Hadamard was able to show that all geodesics are unstable. All geodesics diverge exponentially from one another, as e λ t {\displaystyle e^{\lambda t}} with positive Lyapunov exponent

λ = 2 E m R 2 {\displaystyle \lambda ={\sqrt {\frac {2E}{mR^{2}}}}}

with E the energy of a trajectory, and K = − 1 / R 2 {\displaystyle K=-1/R^{2}} being the constant negative curvature of the surface.

Surfaces with negative curvature The Bolza surface, can be such an example of constant negative curvature, i.e., a two-dimensional surface of genus two (a donut with two holes) and constant negative curvature; this is a compact Riemann surface.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hadamard's dynamical system

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hadamard's dynamical system claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hadamard's dynamical system before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hadamard's dynamical system ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hadamard's dynamical system

In research
Hadamard's dynamical system appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Hadamard's dynamical system in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Hadamard's dynamical system is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Chaotic maps, Ergodic theory, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Hadamard's dynamical system outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Hadamard's dynamical system in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Hadamard's dynamical system means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Hadamard's dynamical system out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hadamard's dynamical system in simple terms?

In physics and mathematics, the Hadamard dynamical system (also called Hadamard's billiard or the Hadamard–Gutzwiller model) is a chaotic dynamical system, a type of dynamical billiards. Introduced by Jacques Hadamard in 1898, and studied by Martin Gutzwiller in the 1980s, The system considers the…

Why does Hadamard's dynamical system matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hadamard's dynamical system?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hadamard's dynamical system.

Tags

  • Chaotic maps
  • Ergodic theory

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