Looking for good intro books/texts on dynamical systems

[chaose]

I'm taking a course in dynamical systems and I'm struggling to grasp some of the concepts. The instructor only occasionally reference the textbook I'm using, which is
Differential Equations, Dynamical Systems, and An Introduction to Chaos 2nd Ed. (By Hirsch, Smale, and Devaney). I'm looking for addtional books/resources on this topic.

Ideally, I'm looking for something that serves as a good introduction to the subject of dynamical systems, so that I can easily understand the concepts. Addtionally, it would be nice after the concept explanation it would go into slightly more advanced applications. The more examples there are the better. Proofs are nice but I don't really care too much about them - it's more the application and east of understanding I care about.

any suggestions and ideas would be welcome.

 

[chaose]

shameless bump.

 

[jasonRF]

Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos by Strogatz is probably what you are looking for. I have only read a few sections here and there, but it is a really accessible and fun introduction to the topic. It is perhaps light on the proofs, but heavy on concepts and building understanding. The book assumes you know elementary differential equations, but not much more.

jason