Calculus of variations with isoparametric constraint

MisterX
Messages
758
Reaction score
71
We seek stationary solutions to
\int_{x_0}^{x_1} F(x, y, y')dx
subject to the constraint
\int_{x_0}^{x_1} G(x, y, y')dx = c
where c is some constant.

I have read that this can be solved by applying the Euler Lagrange equations to
F(x, y, y') + \lambda G(x, y, y')
and then finding the appropriate value of \lambda when solving so that the constraint is satisfied.

Why does this work? I am not sure what reference to use.

Also, this may still work when the unconstrained integral has no stationary solutions, right?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
I'm sorry you are not generating any responses at the moment. Is there any additional information you can share with us? Any new findings?
 
Back
Top