Iterated maps on the interval as dynamical systems

Iterations of continuous maps of an interval to itself serve as the simplest examples of models for dynamical systems. These models present an interesting mathematical structure going far beyond the simple equilibrium solutions one might expect. If, in addition, the dynamical system depends on an experimentally controllable parameter, there is a corresponding mathematical structure revealing a great deal about interrelations between the behavior for different parameter values. This work explains some of the early results of this theory to mathematicians and theoretical physicists, with the ad