Generalized geographical family and the stability of limit cycles (Q1346367)

For a limit cycle \(L\), \(x = \varphi (s)\), \(y = \psi (s)\) of the autonomous system (1) \(\dot x = P(x,y)\), \(\dot y = Q(x,y)\), by taking the family of curves \(\Omega = \{L_ n | L_ n : x = \varphi (s) - n \psi' (s)\), \(y = \psi (s) + n \varphi' (s)\}\), \(| n |\) sufficiently small, as a generalized geographical family, the author proves some sufficient conditions for \(L\) to be stable, unstable or semi- stable. The determinative function used is \[ K(s,n) = {Q \bigl( \varphi (s) - n \psi' (s), \psi (s) + n \varphi' (s) \bigr) \over P \bigl( \varphi (s) - n \psi' (s), \psi (s) + n \varphi' (s) \bigr)} - {\psi' (s) + n \varphi'' (s) \over \varphi' (s) - n \psi'' (s)} \] which is somewhat different from the usual function \[ F(s,n) = {Q \varphi' - P \psi' - n (P \varphi'' + Q \psi'') \over P \varphi' + Q \psi'} \] in the denominator, but they have the same numerator. (Notice that \({dn \over ds} = F(s,n)\) is the equation of \(dy/dx = Q/P\) in curvilinear coordinates.) Moreover, \(F_ n' (s,n) |_{n=0}\) and \(K_ n' (s,n) |_{n=0}\) have the same numerator \(P^ 2_ 0 Q_{y0} - P_ 0 Q_ 0 (P_{y0} + Q_{x0}) + Q^ 2_ 0 P_{x0}\), and their denominators are both positive. -- In Corollary 2, ``curvilinear equation'' is a mistake of ``curvature''.