Symbolic dynamics and characterization of complexity (Q1181164)

This is a review paper. Its objective is to show how symbolic description works in various dynamical situations and how it can be used to compute the complexity of the system. The kneading sequences are discussed for unimodal and multimodal maps of the interval, as well as gap maps and Lorenz type systems. Then the computation of the topological entropy by Milnor-Thurston theory is explained. The Stefan matrix is introduced as an alternative approach. The concept of grammatical complexity is discussed. Finally, possible applications to higher-dimensional dissipative systems with only one positive Lyapunov exponent are mentioned.