Ebook: Exterior Differential Systems and the Calculus of Variations

Exterior Differential Systems and the Calculus of
Variations gives a presentation of the calculus of var-
iations for functionals defined on integral manifolds
of exterior differential systems. The theory of differ-
ential systems is used both to provide the theoretical
background, and to work out the numerous examples
drawn from differential geometry and mechanics. The
subject material lies at the confluence of several of the
most active areas of mathematics, and, because of the
emphasis on examples and explicit solutions to special
problems using general techniques, may be especially
useful to students.