This is the first of two books on methods and techniques in the calculus of variations. Contemporary arguments are used throughout the text to streamline and pr

Fresh, lively text serves as a modern introduction to the subject, with applications to the mechanics of systems with a finite number of degrees of freedom. Ide

This clear and concise textbook provides a rigorous introduction to the calculus of variations, depending on functions of one variable and their first derivativ

Provides a thorough understanding of calculus of variations and prepares readers for the study of modern optimal control theory. Selected variational problems a