# Thread: Lyapunov function-Differential equation prob

1. ## Lyapunov function-Differential equation prob

For dx/dt = y^3 - 2*x^3

dy/dt = -3*x - y^3

Show that the origin is nonlinearly stable by nding the appropriate Lyapunov function.

2. Hey, I don't have it but let me try to rough it in ok:

So we have:

$x'=y^3-2x^3$

$y'=-3x-y^3$

In these, sometimes we can find a Lyapunov function of the form $ax^2+by^2$ for suitable choices of a and b such that $L(p_0)=0$ at the critical point $p_0$, $L(x)>0$ if $x\neq p_0$ in some region about $p_0$ and $F\cdot\nabla L \leq 0$ in that same region. If so, then the point $p_0$ is stable. Well the critical point is the origin so let $a>0$ and $b>0$ and then:

$F\cdot\nabla L =(y^3-2x^3,-3x-y^3)\cdot(2ax,2bx)=2axy^3-4ax^4-6bxy-2by^4$

$=2axy^3-6bxy-(4ax^4+2by^4)$

The last term is always negative. However, I can't show that for suitable choices of a and b, the entire expression is less than or equal zero in some deleted neighborhood of the origin.