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Calculus of Variations Project Shivansh

The document is a project on 'Calculus of Variations' submitted by Shivansh Singh, detailing the mathematical analysis of maximizing or minimizing functionals. It includes sections on basic concepts, the Euler-Lagrange equation, applications in various fields, and a solved example demonstrating the minimization of a functional. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of this calculus in optimization problems across disciplines.

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44 views5 pages

Calculus of Variations Project Shivansh

The document is a project on 'Calculus of Variations' submitted by Shivansh Singh, detailing the mathematical analysis of maximizing or minimizing functionals. It includes sections on basic concepts, the Euler-Lagrange equation, applications in various fields, and a solved example demonstrating the minimization of a functional. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of this calculus in optimization problems across disciplines.

Uploaded by

singhshivanshrajpoot
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CALCULUS OF VARIATIONS

Submitted by: Shivansh Singh

Roll No: 22040101390082

B.Sc. Mathematics, 6th Semester

Session: 2024–2025

Dr. Ashok Kumar Smarak College


Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Awadh University, Ayodhya
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my math teacher for guiding and
supporting me throughout the completion of this project on 'Calculus of Variations'. His
continuous encouragement and insightful suggestions helped me explore the subject
deeply. I am also thankful to the Principal of our college for giving me this opportunity.
Lastly, I would like to thank my parents and friends for their unwavering support.

Date: 22/06/2025
Name: Shivansh Singh
INDEX
Sr. No. Title Page No. Date

1 Introduction 1 22/06/2025

2 Basic Concepts 2 22/06/2025

3 Euler-Lagrange 3 22/06/2025
Equation

4 Applications 4-5 22/06/2025

5 Solved Example 6 22/06/2025

6 Conclusion & 7 22/06/2025


Reference
1. Introduction
Calculus of variations is a field of mathematical analysis that deals with maximizing or
minimizing functionals, which are mappings from a set of functions to the real numbers.
It finds applications in physics, engineering, economics, and more.

2. Basic Concepts
A functional takes a function as input and returns a scalar. The goal is to find the function
that either maximizes or minimizes the functional. Key terms include:
- Functional
- Variational Derivative
- Extremal Function

3. Euler-Lagrange Equation
The Euler-Lagrange equation is a fundamental equation in the calculus of variations. For
a functional J[y] = ∫ F(x, y, y') dx, the function y that makes J[y] an extremum satisfies:

d/dx (∂F/∂y') - ∂F/∂y = 0

4. Applications
1. Physics – In mechanics, it helps derive equations of motion using the principle of least
action.
2. Engineering – Used in structural optimization.
3. Economics – Applied in utility maximization problems.
4. Geometry – Used in geodesic problems.

5. Solved Example
Example: Find the function y(x) that minimizes the functional:

J[y] = ∫₀¹ (y')² dx with y(0) = 0 and y(1) = 1.

Solution:
Using the Euler-Lagrange equation, we get:
d/dx(2y') = 0 ⟹ y'' = 0
Integrating:
y = ax + b
Using boundary conditions: y(0)=0 → b=0, y(1)=1 → a=1
So, y(x) = x is the solution.

6. Conclusion & References


The calculus of variations provides a systematic method for finding functions that
optimize a given functional. It plays a significant role in theoretical physics and
optimization problems across disciplines.

References:
1. Calculus of Variations by I.M. Gelfand
2. Mathematical Methods for Physics by G. Arfken
3. Online lecture notes and resources

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