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For example, the problem of determining the shape of a hanging chain suspended at both ends—a catenary—can be solved using variational calculus, and in this case, the variational principle is the following: The solution is a function that minimizes the gravitational potential energy of the chain.
This variational characterization of eigenvalues leads to the Rayleigh–Ritz method: choose an approximating as a linear combination of basis functions (for example trigonometric functions) and carry out a finite-dimensional minimization among such linear combinations. This method is often surprisingly accurate.
Variational principles are found among earlier ideas in surveying and optics.The rope stretchers of ancient Egypt stretched corded ropes between two points to measure the path which minimized the distance of separation, and Claudius Ptolemy, in his Geographia (Bk 1, Ch 2), emphasized that one must correct for "deviations from a straight course"; in ancient Greece Euclid states in his ...
In quantum mechanics, the variational method is one way of finding approximations to the lowest energy eigenstate or ground state, and some excited states. This allows calculating approximate wavefunctions such as molecular orbitals. [1] The basis for this method is the variational principle. [2] [3]
Hamilton's principle is an important variational principle in elastodynamics. As opposed to a system composed of rigid bodies, deformable bodies have an infinite number of degrees of freedom and occupy continuous regions of space; consequently, the state of the system is described by using continuous functions of space and time.
Results from variational analysis such as Ekeland's variational principle allow us to extend this result of lower semicontinuous functions on non-compact sets provided that the function has a lower bound and at the cost of adding a small perturbation to the function. A smooth variant is known as the Borwein-Press variational principle. [3]
Action principles are "integral" approaches rather than the "differential" approach of Newtonian mechanics.[2]: 162 The core ideas are based on energy, paths, an energy function called the Lagrangian along paths, and selection of a path according to the "action", a continuous sum or integral of the Lagrangian along the path.
This principle is named after J.C. Luke, who published it in 1967. [1] This variational principle is for incompressible and inviscid potential flows, and is used to derive approximate wave models like the mild-slope equation, [2] or using the averaged Lagrangian approach for wave propagation in inhomogeneous media. [3]