Fold Catastrophe

Saddle-Node Bifurcation: ẋ = r + x²
Phase portrait: ẋ = r + x² (vector field)
Bifurcation Diagram: equilibria x* vs r
Catastrophe Surface V(x;r,s)

Fold Catastrophe

Normal form: ẋ = r + x²

At r=0: saddle-node bifurcation — stable and unstable fixed points collide and annihilate. For r<0: two equilibria. For r>0: none.

This is the fold catastrophe — the simplest catastrophe (Thom 1972). Adds cusp with extra parameter s: ẋ = s + rx + x³

Hysteresis: if you slowly change r, the system jumps at the fold — different paths give different outcomes.

Equilibria: computing...