MA303

Chaos and Dynamical Systems

Exercises 10
1. Let J be the unit square and let K be the unit disk in the plane R2 , i.e.
J = {(x, y) R2 : 0 x, y 1}
K = {(x, y) R2 : x2 + y2 1}.

Find d (J, K), d (K, J), and hence the Hausdorff distance d(J, K).
2. Let f , g : R R be given by f (x) = x/2 and g(x) = (x + 1)/2. Consider f , g as set maps, as
discussed in lectures. What is the unique, attracting fixed point of the union set map f g?
3. Give explicitly the iterated function system (IFS) that generates the Cantor middle-fifths set.
This set is obtained from [0, 1] by the same process that generates the Cantor middle-thirds set,
except that here the middle fifth of each interval is removed at each stage.
Let 0 < t < 1, and consider a process that removes the middle t-fraction of each interval. Thus
1+t
we start with [0, 1] and remove the open interval ( 1t
2 , 2 ), obtaining the set K1 = K1 (t) =
1+t
[0, 1t
2 ] [ 2 , 1]. Now repeat this procedure on the two closed intervals that make up K1 ,
and so on. Find the IFS generating the limit set, K = K(t) =
n=1 Kn (t). What is the fractal
dimension of K(t)?
4. Consider the set K obtained from the interval [0, 1] as follows. Remove the open middle
third of the interval [0, 1], and then remove the open middle fifths of the two remaining intervals
[0, 1/3] and [2/3, 1]. We thus obtain set K1 = [0, 2/15] [4/15, 1/3] [2/3, 12/15] [13/15, 1].
Iterate the process, at step n first removing the open middle third of each closed interval comprising Kn (the subset of [0, 1] remaining after n steps), and then the open middle fifth of each
remaining closed interval. Let K = n Kn be the limit set. Is K a fractal? If so, then what is its
fractal dimension?
5. Extra. Let f : Rn Rn be a contraction map with constant K, where 0 < K < 1. Show that
(a) d( f (a), f (B)) Kd(a, B) for all a Rn and B H n ;

(b) d ( f (A), f (B)) K d (A, B) for all A, B H n ;

(c) d( f (A), f (B)) Kd(A, B) for all A, B H n (so f is a contraction on H n , with constant
K).
c LSE 2011 / MA303

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