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This content downloaded from 168.176.5.118 on Fri, 22 Aug 2014 02:03:27 UTC
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On Devaney'sDefinitionofChaos
J.Banks,J.Brooks,G. Cairns,G. Davis and P. Stacey
JOHN BANKS
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[April
commutative
diagram
h
hi
Ih
y-
thenis g necessarily
whereY is anothermetricspaceand h is a homeomorphism,
chaotic?Certainlytransitivity
and the existenceof dense periodicpointsare
as theyarepurelytopological
conditions.
However,
sensitivity
is a metric
preserved
as the
undertopological
conjugation,
property
and in generalit is notpreserved
following
simpleexampleshows.Let X be the subset(1,oo)of the real line,
let f be multiplication
by2, let Y be theset
equippedwiththestandardmetric,
R' ofpositiverealsandlet h be log.Clearlyf has sensitive
dependenceon initial
and henceis notsensitive
forthestandard
conditions
but g is just a translation
it is notdifficult
to find
metricon R+.In fact,as we leaveto thereaderto verify,
is not preservedunder conjugation.
transitive
examplesfor whichsensitivity
and denseperiodicpoints
Nevertheless,
as theaboveTheoremshows,transitivity
is preserved.
Beforeclosingthisparagraph
together
(trivially)
assurethatsensitivity
on conjugation,
let us remarkthatsensitivity
can be regardedas a topological
to compactspaces X (whichis oftenthe
one's attention
conceptif one restricts
case in practice).Indeed,supposethatX is compactand thatf is conjugateto g
on initial
as intheabovediagram.
dependence
Supposeas wellthatf hassensitive
constant8. Let Da denotetheset of pairs(x1,x2) of
withsensitivity
conditions,
pointsin X whichare separatedby distanceat least 8. Then D. is a compact
subsetof theCartesianproductX x X and so itsimageE. in Y x Y underthe
the minimum
dismap (x1,x2) - (h(x1),h(x2)) is also compact.Consequently
that
tanceSy > 0 existsbetweenE, andthediagonalin Y X Y. It is easytoverify
withsensitivity
constantSy.
g has sensitive
dependenceon initialconditions
Proofof Theorem:We suppose thatf: X
-*
points.
X is transitive
and has dense periodic
Indeed,choosetwoarbitrary
periodicpointsq1 and q2 withdisjointorbitsO(q1)
and 0(q2). Let So denotethe distancebetweenO(q1) and 0(q2). Thenby the
triangle
inequality,
everypointx E X is at distanceat least8o/2fromone ofthe
on initial
chosentwoperiodicorbits.We willshowthatf hassensitive
dependence
constant8 = 80/8.
withsensitivity
conditions
of x.
Now let x be an arbitrary
pointin X and let N be someneighborhood
Since theperiodicpointsof f are dense,thereexistsa periodicpointp in the
intersectionU = N nl B8(x) of N withthe ball Bj(x) of radius 8 centeredat x.
q E X whose orbitO(q)
v= nf -(B(f
1(q))).
i=O
since f is
since q E V. Consequently,
ClearlyV is open and it is non-empty
transitive,
thereexistsy in U and a naturalnumberk suchthatf k(y) E V.
1992]
ON DEVANEY'
DEFINITION OF CHAOS
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333
Nowlet j be theinteger
partof k/n + 1. So 1 < nj - k < n. Byconstruction,
one has
f ni(y) = f ni-k(fk(y))
Nowf ni(p)
Ef ni-k(V)
cB
(f ni-k(q)).
p, and so bythetriangle
inequality,
(q))
fni(y))
> 45 -8
8 = 28.
REFERENCES
to ChaoticDynamicalSystems,Addison-Wesley,1989.
1. R. L. Devaney, An Introduction
2. J-P.Eckmannand D. Ruelle, Ergodic theoryof chaos and strangeattractors,Rev. Mod. Phys.,57
(1985) 617-656.
3. I. Stewart,Does God Play Dice? Mathematicsof Chaos, Blackwell,1989.
Departmentof Mathematics
La TrobeUniversity
Melbourne,3083
Australia
334
JOHN BANKS
This content downloaded from 168.176.5.118 on Fri, 22 Aug 2014 02:03:27 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
[April