Section outline

  • Before the first class, you are asked to read the first pre-class lecture on discrete-time dynamical systems (essentially, iterating maps). Therein, you will have to try out the Checkpoint Questions (quick and to be attempted while studying the document) as well as the Readiness check (a bit longer, to attempt after reading the studying the document). Come to class with your written answers to the readiness check, as indicated at the end of the document. The PDF pre-class lecture can be downloaded from the Moodle page of the course. We will only work with Python in class; a stable distribution should be installed on your computer, as well as the possibility and read, execute and produce notebooks. 
    Overall, we will rapidly need to manipulate derivatives (when working with continuous-time dynamical systems. So make sure you understand this part of the mathematical prerequisites proposed in the document by E. Le Clezio.