This is a rare book on a rare topic: it is about 'action' and the Principle of Least Action. A surprisingly well-kept secret, these ideas are at the heart of physical science and engineering. Physics is well known as being concerned with grand conservatory principles (e.g. the conservation of energy) but equally important is the optimization principle (such as getting somewhere in the shortest time or with the least resistance). The book explains: why an optimization principle underlies physics, what action is, what `the ...
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This is a rare book on a rare topic: it is about 'action' and the Principle of Least Action. A surprisingly well-kept secret, these ideas are at the heart of physical science and engineering. Physics is well known as being concerned with grand conservatory principles (e.g. the conservation of energy) but equally important is the optimization principle (such as getting somewhere in the shortest time or with the least resistance). The book explains: why an optimization principle underlies physics, what action is, what `the Hamiltonian' is, and how new insights into energy, space, and time arise. It assumes some background in the physical sciences, at the level of undergraduate science, but it is not a textbook. The requisite derivations and worked examples are given but may be skim-read if desired. The author draws from Cornelius Lanczos's book "The Variational Principles of Mechanics" (1949 and 1970). Lanczos was a brilliant mathematician and educator, but his book was for a postgraduate audience. The present book is no mere copy with the difficult bits left out - it is original, and a popularization. It aims to explain ideas rather than achieve technical competence, and to show how Least Action leads into the whole of physics.
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Add this copy of The Lazy Universe: An Introduction to the Principle of to cart. $51.92, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2017 by Oxford University Press.
Add this copy of The Lazy Universe: An Introduction to the Principle of to cart. $65.24, new condition, Sold by Ria Christie Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Uxbridge, MIDDLESEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2017 by Oxford University Press.
Add this copy of The Lazy Universe: an Introduction to the Principle of to cart. $77.63, good condition, Sold by Kennys.ie rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Galway, IRELAND, published 2017 by Oxford University Press.
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Seller's Description:
New. The Principle of Least Action underlies all physics and leads into quantum mechanics and Einstein's Relativity. There are some textbooks that do the calculations, and one book with nice pictures, but no book (before this one) that explains what 'action' is, and why nature follows this principle. Num Pages: 272 pages, 52. BIC Classification: PDA; PDX; PH. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 216 x 138...2017. 1st Edition. Hardcover.....We ship daily from our Bookshop.
Add this copy of The Lazy Universe: an Introduction to the Principle of to cart. $78.69, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Clarita, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2017 by Oxford University Press.
Add this copy of The Lazy Universe: an Introduction to the Principle of to cart. $102.80, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Clarita, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2017 by Oxford University Press.
