Variational principles have proven to be surprisingly fertile. For example, Fermat used variational methods to demonstrate that light follows the fastest route from one point to another, an idea which came to be a cornerstone of geometrical optics. This book explains variational principles and charts their use throughout modern physics. It examines the analytical mechanics of Lagrange and Hamilton, the basic tools of any physicist. The book also offers simple but rich first impressions of Einstein's General Relativity, Feynman's Quantum Mechanics, and more that reveal amazing interconnections between various fields of physics.
- ISBN10 0387515658
- ISBN13 9780387515656
- Publish Date 30 August 2008 (first published 18 December 2006)
- Publish Status Withdrawn
- Out of Print 18 October 2014
- Publish Country DE
- Imprint Springer
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 324
- Language English