A stability criterion

An important technique for determining the stability of a system of ordinary differential equations is to determine whether there are any roots in the positive half-plane of a certain polynomial P(z). Cesari has given a criterion for this in terms of the topological degree of the mapping described by P(z). It is shown here that Cesari's criterion can be reformulated as the problem of approximating the real roots of polynomials which are the real and imaginary parts of the P(z) on certain lines in the z-plane. The roots need only be approxi¬mated closely enough so that their magnitudes can be compared. The derivation of this criterion uses the notion of topological degree but the criterion itself is stated entirely in elementary terms