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The second method of Liapunov is a useful technique for investigating the stability of linear and non-linear ordinary differential equations. It is well known that the second method of Liapunov, when applied to linear differential equations with real constant coefficients, gives rise to sets of necessary and sufficient stability conditions which are alternatives to the well-known Routh-Hurwitz conditions. In this paper a direct proof of the Routh-Hurwitz conditions themselves is given using Liapunov's second method. The new proof is ‘elementary’ in that it depends on the fundamental concept of stability associated with Liapunov's second method, and not on theorems in the complex integral calculus which are required in the usual proofs. A useful by-product of this new proof is a method of determining the coefficients of a linear differential equation with real constant coefficients in terms of its Hurwitz determinants.

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