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Trave11er
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Does it have any deeper theoretical foundation or is it just true empirically?
Trave11er said:Thanks for the reply. Though I can't quite see, why is that only the extremal integral is not canceled out. It seems that there is infinity of possible values with their corresponding action integrals - why should the extremal one survive - can you go into, please?
Hamilton's principle is a fundamental concept in classical mechanics, which states that the path taken by a physical system between two points in time is the one that minimizes the action, which is the integral of the system's Lagrangian over time.
Hamilton's principle is named after Irish mathematician and physicist William Rowan Hamilton, who first introduced the principle in his work on classical mechanics in the 19th century. Hamilton's contributions to the field of mechanics and his development of the principle have made him a key figure in the history of physics.
Hamilton's principle is significant because it provides a powerful framework for understanding the behavior of physical systems. It allows us to determine the equations of motion for a system and predict its future behavior based on its initial conditions. The principle has also been extended to other areas of physics, such as quantum mechanics and relativity.
Hamilton's principle is closely related to other fundamental principles in physics, such as Newton's laws of motion and the principle of least action. It can also be seen as a generalization of these principles, as it encompasses a wider range of physical systems and allows for more complex equations of motion to be derived.
Hamilton's principle can be applied to a wide range of physical systems, including classical mechanics, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics. However, it may not be applicable to systems that exhibit non-classical behavior, such as systems at the quantum level or systems with chaotic behavior.