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.
First truly up-to-date treatment offers a simple introduction to optimal control, linear-quadratic control design, and more. Broad perspective features numerous exercises, hints, outlines, and appendixes, including a practical discussion of MATLAB. 2005 edition.
Originally published in the Soviet Union, this text is meant for students of higher schools and deals with the most important sections of mathematics - differential equations and the calculus of variations. The first part describes the theory of differential equations and reviews the methods for integrating these equations and investigating their solutions. The second part gives an idea of the calculus of variations and surveys the methods for solving variational problems. The book contains a large number of examples and problems with solutions involving applications of mathematics to physics and mechanics. Apart from its main purpose the textbook is of interest to expert mathematicians. Lev Elsgolts (deceased) was a Doctor of Physico-Mathematical Sciences, Professor at the Patrice Lumumba University of Friendship of Peoples. His research work was dedicated to the calculus of variations and differential equations. He worked out the theory of differential equations with deviating arguments and supplied methods for their solution. Lev Elsgolts was the author of many printed works. Among others, he wrote the well-known books Qualitative Methods in Mathematical Analysis and Introduction to the Theory of Differential Equations with Deviating Arguments. In addition to his research work Lev Elsgolts taught at higher schools for over twenty years.
This textbook offers a concise yet rigorous introduction to calculus of variations and optimal control theory, and is a self-contained resource for graduate students in engineering, applied mathematics, and related subjects. Designed specifically for a one-semester course, the book begins with calculus of variations, preparing the ground for optimal control. It then gives a complete proof of the maximum principle and covers key topics such as the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman theory of dynamic programming and linear-quadratic optimal control. Calculus of Variations and Optimal Control Theory also traces the historical development of the subject and features numerous exercises, notes and references at the end of each chapter, and suggestions for further study. Offers a concise yet rigorous introduction Requires limited background in control theory or advanced mathematics Provides a complete proof of the maximum principle Uses consistent notation in the exposition of classical and modern topics Traces the historical development of the subject Solutions manual (available only to teachers) Leading universities that have adopted this book include: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ECE 553: Optimum Control Systems Georgia Institute of Technology ECE 6553: Optimal Control and Optimization University of Pennsylvania ESE 680: Optimal Control Theory University of Notre Dame EE 60565: Optimal Control
This volume is aimed at those who are concerned about Chinese medicine - how it works, what its current state is and, most important, how to make full use of it. The audience therefore includes clinicians who want to serve their patients better and patients who are eager to supplement their own conventional treatment. The authors of the book belong to three different fields, modern medicine, Chinese medicine and pharmacology. They provide information from their areas of expertise and concern, attempting to make it comprehensive for users. The approach is macroscopic and philosophical; readers convinced of the philosophy are to seek specific assistance.
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. Ideal for math and physics students.
Functional analysis owes much of its early impetus to problems that arise in the calculus of variations. In turn, the methods developed there have been applied to optimal control, an area that also requires new tools, such as nonsmooth analysis. This self-contained textbook gives a complete course on all these topics. It is written by a leading specialist who is also a noted expositor. This book provides a thorough introduction to functional analysis and includes many novel elements as well as the standard topics. A short course on nonsmooth analysis and geometry completes the first half of the book whilst the second half concerns the calculus of variations and optimal control. The author provides a comprehensive course on these subjects, from their inception through to the present. A notable feature is the inclusion of recent, unifying developments on regularity, multiplier rules, and the Pontryagin maximum principle, which appear here for the first time in a textbook. Other major themes include existence and Hamilton-Jacobi methods. The many substantial examples, and the more than three hundred exercises, treat such topics as viscosity solutions, nonsmooth Lagrangians, the logarithmic Sobolev inequality, periodic trajectories, and systems theory. They also touch lightly upon several fields of application: mechanics, economics, resources, finance, control engineering. Functional Analysis, Calculus of Variations and Optimal Control is intended to support several different courses at the first-year or second-year graduate level, on functional analysis, on the calculus of variations and optimal control, or on some combination. For this reason, it has been organized with customization in mind. The text also has considerable value as a reference. Besides its advanced results in the calculus of variations and optimal control, its polished presentation of certain other topics (for example convex analysis, measurable selections, metric regularity, and nonsmooth analysis) will be appreciated by researchers in these and related fields.
