Bruce van Brunt – författare

The calculus of variations has a long history of interaction with other branches of mathematics such as geometry and differential equations, and with physics, particularly mechanics. More recently, the calculus of variations has found applications in other fields such as economics and electrical engineering. Much of the mathematics underlying control theory, for instance, can be regarded as part of the calculus of variations.This book is an introduction to the calculus of variations for mathematicians and scientists. The reader interested primarily in mathematics will find results of interest in geometry and differential equations. I have paused at times to develop the proofs of some of these results, and discuss briefly various topics not normally found in an introductory book on this subject such as the existence and uniqueness of solutions to boundary-value problems, the inverse problem, and Morse theory. I have made “passive use” of functional analysis (in particular normed vector spaces) to place certain results in context and reassure the mathematician that a suitable framework is available for a more rigorous study. For the reader interested mainly in techniques and applications of the calculus of variations, I leavened the book with numerous examples mostly from physics. In addition, topics such as Hamilton’s Principle, eigenvalue approximations, conservation laws, and nonholonomic constraints in mechanics are discussed. More importantly, the book is written on two levels. The technical details for many of the results can be skipped on the initial reading. The student can thus learn the main results in each chapter and return as needed to the proofs for a deeper understanding.

This text gives a rigorous treatment of the foundations of calculus. In contrast to more traditional approaches, infinite sequences and series are placed at the forefront. The approach taken has not only the merit of simplicity, but students are well placed to understand and appreciate more sophisticated concepts in advanced mathematics. The authors mitigate potential difficulties in mastering the material by motivating definitions, results and proofs. Simple examples are provided to illustrate new material and exercises are included at the end of most sections. Noteworthy topics include: an extensive discussion of convergence tests for infinite series, Wallis’s formula and Stirling’s formula, proofs of the irrationality of π and e and a treatment of Newton’s method as a special instance of finding fixed points of iterated functions.

The calculus of variations has a long history of interaction with other branches of mathematics, such as geometry and differential equations, and with physics, particularly mechanics. More recently, the calculus of variations has found applications in other fields such as economics and electrical engineering. Much of the mathematics underlying control theory, for instance, can be regarded as part of the calculus of variations.This book is an introductory account of the calculus of variations suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students of mathematics, physics, or engineering. The mathematical background assumed of the reader is a course in multivariable calculus, and some familiarity with the elements of real analysis and ordinary differential equations. The book focuses on variational problems that involve one independent variable. The fixed endpoint problem and problems with constraints are discussed in detail. In addition, more advanced topics such as the inverse problem, eigenvalue problems, separability conditions for the Hamilton-Jacobi equation, and Noether's theorem are discussed.The text contains numerous examples to illustrate key concepts along with problems to help the student consolidate the material. The book can be used as a textbook for a one semester course on the calculus of variations, or as a book to supplement a course on applied mathematics or classical mechanics. Bruce van Brunt is Senior Lecturer at Massey University, New Zealand. He is the author of The Lebesgue-Stieltjes Integral, with Michael Carter, and has been teaching the calculus of variations to undergraduate and graduate students for several years.

This text gives a rigorous treatment of the foundations of calculus. In contrast to more traditional approaches, infinite sequences and series are placed at the forefront. The approach taken has not only the merit of simplicity, but students are well placed to understand and appreciate more sophisticated concepts in advanced mathematics. The authors mitigate potential difficulties in mastering the material by motivating definitions, results and proofs. Simple examples are provided to illustrate new material and exercises are included at the end of most sections. Noteworthy topics include: an extensive discussion of convergence tests for infinite series, Wallis’s formula and Stirling’s formula, proofs of the irrationality of π and e and a treatment of Newton’s method as a special instance of finding fixed points of iterated functions.

This text provides a detailed presentation of the main results for infinite products, as well as several applications.