This graduate-level introduction to ordinary differential equations combines both qualitative and numerical analysis of solutions, in line with Poincaré's vision for the field over a century ago. Taking into account the remarkable development of dynamical systems since then, the authors present the core topics that every young mathematician of our time—pure and applied alike—ought to learn. The book features a dynamical perspective that drives the motivating questions, the style of exposition, and the arguments and proof techniques.
The text is organized in six cycles. The first cycle deals with the foundational questions of existence and uniqueness of solutions. The second introduces the basic tools, both theoretical and practical, for treating concrete problems. The third cycle presents autonomous and non-autonomous linear theory. Lyapunov stability theory forms the fourth cycle. The fifth one deals with the local theory, including the Grobman–Hartman theorem and the stable manifold theorem. The last cycle discusses global issues in the broader setting of differential equations on manifolds, culminating in the Poincaré–Hopf index theorem.
The book is appropriate for use in a course or for self-study. The reader is assumed to have a basic knowledge of general topology, linear algebra, and analysis at the undergraduate level. Each chapter ends with a computational experiment, a diverse list of exercises, and detailed historical, biographical, and bibliographic notes seeking to help the reader form a clearer view of how the ideas in this field unfolded over time.