Periodic point

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In mathematics, in the study of iterated functions and dynamical systems, a periodic point of a function is a point which the system returns to after a certain number of function iterations or a certain amount of time.

Iterated functions

Given an endomorphism f on a set X

$f:X\to X$

a point x in X is called periodic point if there exists an n so that

$\ f_{n}(x)=x$

where $f_{n}$ is the nth iterate of f. The smallest positive integer n satisfying the above is called the prime period or least period of the point x. If every point in X is a periodic point with the same period n, then f is called periodic with period n.

If there exists distinct n and m such that

$f_{n}(x)=f_{m}(x)$

then x is called a preperiodic point. All periodic points are preperiodic.

If f is a diffeomorphism of a differentiable manifold, so that the derivative $f_{n}^{\prime }$ is defined, then one says that a periodic point is hyperbolic if

$|f_{n}^{\prime }|\neq 1,$

that it is attractive if

$|f_{n}^{\prime }|<1,$

and it is repelling if

$|f_{n}^{\prime }|>1.$

If the dimension of the stable manifold of a periodic point or fixed point is zero, the point is called a source; if the dimension of its unstable manifold is zero, it is called a sink; and if both the stable and unstable manifold have nonzero dimension, it is called a saddle or saddle point.

Examples

A period-one point is called a fixed point.

Dynamical system

Given a real global dynamical system (R, X, Φ) with X the phase space and Φ the evolution function,

$\Phi :{\mathbb {R}}\times X\to X$

a point x in X is called periodic with period t if there exists a t ≥ 0 so that

$\Phi (t,x)=x\,$

The smallest positive t with this property is called prime period of the point x.

Properties

Given a periodic point x with period p, then $\Phi (t,x)=\Phi (t+p,x)\,$ for all s in R
Given a periodic point x then all points on the orbit $\gamma _{x}$ through x are periodic with the same prime period.

Periodic point

Iterated functions

Examples

Dynamical system

Properties

See also