We proceed by first setting out the difference equations for the variables and in this case.

The basic difference equations may be written (where we have set and ):.

When difference equations are used, it is called discrete dynamical systems theory.

Every recurrence relation can be formulated as a difference equation.

A first order rational difference equation has the form .

In this context, coupled difference equations are often used to model the interaction of two or more populations.

This nonlinear difference equation is intended to capture two effects.

The statistics indicate a reasonable level of explanation for a difference equation.

Some progress can be made by studying discrete-time models or difference equations.

See the subsection on linear difference equations for more explanation.