Author : Walter Dittrich
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030691055
Total Pages : 141 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (36 download)
Book Synopsis The Development of the Action Principle by : Walter Dittrich
Download or read book The Development of the Action Principle written by Walter Dittrich and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-05-29 with total page 141 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.