Symmetric Maps on the Plane: Mathematical Properties and Numerical Experiments ^†

We consider a class of discrete time two-dimensional dynamic systems that are symmetric, i.e., (x’,y’) = T(x,y) such that ToS = SoT, where S: (x,y)→(y,x) is the reflection through the diagonal. Symmetry implies some properties in terms of qualitative and quantitative dynamics, for instance there exist synchronized trajectories, while fixed points and other invariant sets are symmetric w.r.t. the main diagonal or they are invariant as well. Synchronization may also emerge. After showing some of the main features related to this kind of systems (such as attractors and their basins), some numerical examples obtained using software MatLab will be presented and the related algorithms will be discussed.