We investigate the number of periodic points of certain discrete quadratic maps modulo prime numbers. We do so by first exploring previously known results for two particular quadratic maps, after which we explain why the methods used in these two cases are hard to adapt to a more general case. We then perform experiments and find striking patterns in the behaviour of these general cases which suggest that, apart from the two special cases, the number of periodic points of all quadratic maps of this type behave the same. Finally we formulate a conjecture to this effect.

In this thesis we study the number of periodic points of congruential monomial dynamical system. By concept of index calculus we are able to calculate the number of solutions for congruential equations. We give formula for the number of r-periodic points over prime power. Then we discuss about calculating the total number of periodic points and cycles of length r for prime power.

Seja f : T2 -> T2 um homeomorfismo homotópico a identidade e F : R2 -> R2 um levantamento de f tal que seu conjunto de rotação rho(F) é um segmento vertical não degenerado contido em 0 × R. Provamos que se f é ergódico com respeito a medida de Lebesgue no toro e se o vetor de rotação médio (com respeito a mesma medida) é da forma (0, alpha) para alpha em R\\Q então existe M > 0 tal que |(Fn (x) - x)1| <= M para todo x em R2 e n em Z (onde (.)1 :R2 -> R é definida por (x,y)1 =x). / Let f : T2 -> T2 be a homeomorphism homotopic to the identity and F : R2 -> R2 a lift of f such that the rotation set rho(F) is a non-degenerated vertical line segment contained in 0 × R. We prove that if f is ergodic with respect to the Lebesgue measure on the torus and the average rotation vector (with respect to same measure) is of the form (0, alpha) for alpha in R\\Q then there exists M > 0 such that |(Fn (x) - x)1| <= M for all x in R2 and n in Z (where (.)1 :R2 -> R is defined by (x, y)1 = x).

Seja f : T2 -> T2 um homeomorfismo homotópico a identidade e F : R2 -> R2 um levantamento de f tal que seu conjunto de rotação rho(F) é um segmento vertical não degenerado contido em 0 × R. Provamos que se f é ergódico com respeito a medida de Lebesgue no toro e se o vetor de rotação médio (com respeito a mesma medida) é da forma (0, alpha) para alpha em R\\Q então existe M > 0 tal que |(Fn (x) - x)1| <= M para todo x em R2 e n em Z (onde (.)1 :R2 -> R é definida por (x,y)1 =x). / Let f : T2 -> T2 be a homeomorphism homotopic to the identity and F : R2 -> R2 a lift of f such that the rotation set rho(F) is a non-degenerated vertical line segment contained in 0 × R. We prove that if f is ergodic with respect to the Lebesgue measure on the torus and the average rotation vector (with respect to same measure) is of the form (0, alpha) for alpha in R\\Q then there exists M > 0 such that |(Fn (x) - x)1| <= M for all x in R2 and n in Z (where (.)1 :R2 -> R is defined by (x, y)1 = x).

The field of discrete dynamical systems is a rich and active field of research within mathematics, with applications ranging from biology to computer science, finance, engineering and various others. In this thesis properties of certain discrete dynamical systems are studied together with number theoretic properties of the functions defining these systems. The dynamical systems studied in this thesis are defined by iteration of power series g with a fixed point at the origin, tangent to the identity, and defined over fields of prime characteristic p. We are interested in the geometric location of the periodic points in the open unit disk. Recent results have shown that there is a connection between the lower ramification numbers of g and the geometric location of the periodic points in the open unit disk. The lower ramification numbers of g can be described as the multiplicity of zero as a fixed point of p-power iterates of g. Part of this thesis concerns characterizing power series having certain sequences of ramification numbers. The other part concerns utilizing these results in order to describe the geometric location of the periodic points in terms of their distance to the origin. More precisely, we characterize all 2-ramified power series, i.e. power series having ramification numbers of the form 2(1 + p + … + pn). Moreover, we also obtain a lower bound of the absolute value of the periodic points in the open unit disk of such series.

Since the introduction of Pollard's rho method for integer factorisation in 1975 there has been great interest in understanding the dynamics of quadratic maps over finite fields. One avenue for this, and indeed the heuristic on which Pollard bases the proof of the method's efficacy, is the idea that quadratic maps behave roughly like random maps. We explore this heuristic from the perspective of comparing the number of periodic points. We find that empirically random maps appear to model the number of periodic points of quadratic maps well, and moreover prove that the number of periodic points of random maps satisfy an interesting asymptotic behaviour that we have observed experimentally for quadratic maps.

In this dissertation we discuss various results for spaces that are wild, i.e. not locally simply connected. We first discuss periodic properties of maps from a given space to itself, similar to Sharkovskii's Theorem for interval maps. We study many non-locally connected spaces and show that some have periodic structure either identical or related to Sharkovskii's result, while others have essentially no restrictions on the periodic structure. We next consider embeddings of solenoids together with their complements in three space. We differentiate solenoid complements via both algebraic and geometric means, and show that every solenoid has an unknotted embedding with Abelian fundamental group, as well as infinitely many inequivalent knotted embeddings with non-Abelian fundamental group. We end by discussing Peano continua, particularly considering subsets where the space is or is not locally simply connected. We present reduced forms for homotopy types of Peano continua, and provide a few applications of these results.

<p>The main focus of this dissertation is to find and explain the periodic points of certain algebraic functions that are related to some modular functions, which themselves can be represented by continued fractions. Some of these continued fractions are first explored by Srinivasa Ramanujan in early 20th century. Later on, much work has been done in terms of studying the continued fractions, and proving several relations, identities, and giving different representations for them.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The layout of this report is as follows. Chapter 1 has all the basic background knowledge and ingredients about algebraic number theory, class field theory, Ramanujan’s theta functions, etc. In Chapter 2, we look at the Ramanujan-Göllnitz-Gordon continued fraction that we call v(τ) and evaluate it at certain arguments in the field K = Q(√−d), with −d ≡ 1 (mod 8), in which the ideal (2) = ℘₂℘′₂  is a product of two prime ideals. We prove several identities related to itself and with other modular functions. Some of these are new, while some of them are known but with different proofs. These values of v(τ) are shown to generate the inertia field of ℘₂ or ℘′₂ in an extended ring class field over the field K. The conjugates over Q of these same values, together with 0, −1 ± √2, are shown to form the exact set of periodic points of a fixed algebraic function ˆF(x), independent of d. These are analogues of similar results for the Rogers-Ramanujan continued fraction. See [1] and [2]. This joint work with my advisor Dr. Morton, is submitted for publication to the New York Journal.</p> <p><br> In Chapters 3 and 4, we take a similar approach in studying two more continued fractions c(τ) and u(τ), the first of which is more commonly known as the Ramanujan’s cubic continued fraction. We show what fields a value of this continued fraction generates over Q, and we describe how the periodic points for described functions arise as values of these continued fractions. Then in the last chapter, we summarise all these results, give some possible directions for future research as well as mentioning some conjectures.</p>

In this thesis we study lower ramification numbers of power series tan- gent to the identity that are defined over fields of positive characteristics. Let f be such a series, then f has a fixed point at the origin and the corresponding lower ramification numbers of f are then, up to a constant, the multiplicity of zero as a fixed point of iterates of f. In this thesis we classify power series having ‘small’ ramification numbers. The results are then used to study ramification numbers of polynomials not tangent to the identity. We also state a few conjectures motivated by computer experiments that we performed.

In this thesis we study discrete dynamical system, given by a polynomial, over both finite extension of the fields of p-adic numbers and over finite fields. Especially in the p-adic case, we study fixed points of dynamical systems, and which elements that are attracted to them. We show with different examples how complex these dynamics are. For certain polynomial dynamical systems over finite fields we prove that the normalized average of the numbers of linear factors modulo prime numbers exists. We also show how to calculate the average, by using Chebotarev's Density Theorem. The non-normalized version of the average of the number of linear factors of linearized polynomials modulo prime numbers, tends to infinity, so in that case we find an asymptotic formula instead. We have also used a computer to study different behaviors, such as iterations of polynomials over the p-adic fields and the asymptotic relation mention above. In the last chapter we present the computer programs used in different part of the thesis.