Perfect Form
"[The] ability of variational methods to derive fundamental results in physics hints at their being a kind of short cut towards truly fundamental insights into the design of the cosmos... Don Lemon's short book is aimed at bringing these techniques within reach of the average undergraduate physics student."--Robert Matthews, New Scientist
What does the path taken by a ray of light share with the trajectory of a thrown baseball and the curve of a wheat stalk bending in the breeze? Each is the subject of a different study yet all are optimal shapes; light rays minimize travel time while a thrown baseball minimizes action. Les mer
One selection of text and problems even constitutes a non-calculus of variations introduction to variational methods, while the mathematics more generally employed extends only to solving simple ordinary differential equations. Perfect Form is designed to supplement existing classical mechanics texts and to present variational principles and methods to students who approach the subject for the first time.
Detaljer
- Forlag
- Princeton University Press
- Innbinding
- Paperback
- Språk
- Engelsk
- Sider
- 136
- ISBN
- 9780691026633
- Utgivelsesår
- 1997
- Format
- 24 x 15 cm
Anmeldelser
"[The] ability of variational methods to derive fundamental results in physics hints at their being a kind of short cut towards truly fundamental insights into the design of the cosmos... Don Lemon's short book is aimed at bringing these techniques within reach of the average undergraduate physics student."--Robert Matthews, New Scientist