The Development of the Action Principle: A Didactic History from Euler-Lagrange to Schwinger (1st ed. 2021) (SpringerBriefs in Physics)

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Synopsis
This book describes the historical development of the principle of stationary action from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Reference is made to the most important contributors to this topic, in particular Bernoullis, Leibniz, Euler, Lagrange and Laplace. The leading theme is how the action principle is applied to problems in classical physics such as hydrodynamics, electrodynamics and gravity, extending also to the modern formulation of quantum mechanics and quantum field theory, especially quantum electrodynamics. A critical analysis of operator versus c-number field theory is given. The book contains many worked examples. In particular, the term "vacuum" is scrutinized.The book is aimed primarily at actively working researchers, graduate students and historians interested in the philosophical interpretation and evolution of physics; in particular, in understanding the action principle and its application to a wide range of natural phenomena.
Copyright:
2021

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
ISBN-13:
9783030691059
Related ISBNs:
9783030691042
Publisher:
Springer International Publishing
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
The Author
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
Nonfiction, Science, Earth Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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