The Calculus of Variations

An authoritative text on the calculus of variations for first-year graduate students. From a study of the simplest problem it goes on to cover Lagrangian derivatives, Jacobi's condition, and field theory. Devotes considerable attention to direct methods and the Sturm-Liouville problem in a finite interval. Contains numerous interesting and challenging exercises plus five appendices on important results, generalizations, and applications of the material,