Phase portraits of ODE systems and vector fields

Click — trajectory from a point. Brush — hold LMB and drag. Wheel — zoom. Axes x and y are phase. Arrows show the vector (ẋ, ẏ), length is speed.

Presets (examples with parameters)

Axes x and y are phase. Arrows show the vector (ẋ, ẏ); length is speed.

System

Quick reference

An autonomous planar system:

\[ \begin{cases} \dot{x} = P(x,y) \\ \dot{y} = Q(x,y) \end{cases} \]

A point with \(P=Q=0\) is an equilibrium. Its type follows from the Jacobian eigenvalues.

Lotka–Volterra produces population oscillations; van der Pol produces a stable limit cycle.

Plot a dynamical-system phase portrait online

ODEPLOT draws the vector field of \(\dot x = P\), \(\dot y = Q\) with speed arrows.

Click the canvas for an integral curve. Examples include Lotka–Volterra, van der Pol, and linear nodes, foci, and saddles. Export PNG.