The Calculus of Variations in the Large

Download or read book The Calculus of Variations in the Large written by Marston Morse and published by American Mathematical Soc.. This book was released on 1934-12-31 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Morse theory is a study of deep connections between analysis and topology. In its classical form, it provides a relationship between the critical points of certain smooth functions on a manifold and the topology of the manifold. It has been used by geometers, topologists, physicists, and others as a remarkably effective tool to study manifolds. In the 1980s and 1990s, Morse theory was extended to infinite dimensions with great success. This book is Morse's own exposition of his ideas. It has been called one of the most important and influential mathematical works of the twentieth century. Calculus of Variations in the Large is certainly one of the essential references on Morse theory.