The complicated motion of non-linear systems makes it necessary to distinguish between transient and asymptotic behavior. The damped harmonic oscillator executes a transient spiral motion that asympto...The complicated motion of non-linear systems makes it necessary to distinguish between transient and asymptotic behavior. The damped harmonic oscillator executes a transient spiral motion that asymptotically approaches the origin. The transient behavior depends on the initial conditions, whereas the asymptotic limit of the steady-state solution is a specific location, that is called a point attractor.
