Euler, Calculus of Variations and Mast on a ship

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around Euler's work related to the placement of masts on a ship, specifically how he approached this problem in the context of the Calculus of Variations. Participants express interest in understanding Euler's methodology and how it might be interpreted or applied using contemporary approaches to the subject.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant references a Wikipedia entry stating that Euler participated in a competition to find the optimal placement of masts on a ship in 1727, seeking more accessible explanations of his methods today.
  • Another participant asks for clarification on how the problem is stated, indicating a lack of understanding of the original problem's specifics.
  • A third participant expresses uncertainty about the problem's details, acknowledging they have read about Euler's involvement but lack deeper knowledge.
  • One participant questions the relevance of the discussion, suggesting that without a clear problem statement, there may be little to discuss.
  • Another participant provides a link to a document that may contain insights into Euler's work, while also noting the absence of a translation of the original paper.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not appear to reach a consensus on the specifics of Euler's problem or methodology. There are multiple requests for clarification, indicating uncertainty and a lack of agreement on how to proceed with the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Participants express limitations in their understanding of the original problem statement and Euler's methods, which may hinder the discussion's progression. There is also a noted absence of accessible translations of Euler's original work.

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TL;DR
How did Euler use the calculus of variations to place a mast on a ship?
From Wikipedia:

"In 1727, [Euler] first entered the Paris Academy Prize Problem competition; the problem that year was to find the best way to place the masts on a ship."

Does anyone know how he did this?

Is there an on-line paper? (But what that is accessible with today's knowledge).

And by that, I do not mean as he did it (for I fear a paper of his work will be dense with geometry) but more: "how would he do it today, equipped with today's "dialect" of how the Calculus of Variations is taught?"
 
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wrobel said:
how is the problem stated exactly?

I do not have a clue. I am not being facetious. I just don't know. I have read from several sources that he did what the wikipedia article says, but I have not clue as to anything more than that.
 
then I do not see a matter of the discussion
 

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