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Nature 395, 116-117 (10 September 1998) | doi:10.1038/25847

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Mathematics:  Nonlinear modes of vibration

Ivar Ekeland1

One of the most fundamental results in classical mechanics is that linear systems with n degrees of freedom have n fundamental modes of vibration, and that any motion of the systems can be obtained as a linear combination of these fundamental modes. This combination principle does not hold for nonlinear systems, but one suspects that a few periodic solutions will play a part akin to the fundamental modes.

  1. Ivar Ekeland is at the University of Paris-Dauphine, 75775 Paris Cedex 16, France.
    e-mail: Email: ivar.ekeland@dauphine.fr