Iterates of piecewise monotone mappings on an interval

the long version

Piecewise monotone mappings on an interval provide simple examples of discrete dynamical systems whose behaviour can be very complicated. These notes are concerned with the properties of the iterates of such mappings. The material presented can be understood by anyone who has had a basic course in (one-dimensional) real analysis. The account concentrates on the topological (as opposed to the measure theoretical) aspects of the theory of piecewise monotone mappings. As well as offering an elementary introduction to this theory, these notes also contain a more advanced treatment of the problem of classifying such mappings up to topological conjugacy.