explain why I'm wrong
 

You forgot to carry the 4.

Because you're a democrat.

KH took the words right out of my mouth

It would be a solution to a gradient dynamical system.

Kuci

I have no idea what you mean by making that distinction, but you need to read what I wrote more carefully, for content rather than syntax.

Oh, I'm stupid. My thought process was "gradient dynamical system" -> "conservative force" -> "ooh, a pendulum".

The difference between a conservative force and what you've defined here is that a conservative force would give you X'' = F(X)

Second deriv, not first.

Don't get lost in the complications. Always reduce problems to their simplest essence. Prove it for one dimensional dynamical systems and then step up to multi-d

It's what i always say.

"Hey baby I'd sure like to stick my gradient into you..."
"What the hell does that even mean?"
"Christ what are you a poetry major? http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...s/rolleyes.gif"