Principle of least reaction
From Encyclopedia of Mathematics
A corollary of Gauss' principle (cf. Gauss principle), obtained from the latter by using the equations representing Newton's second law for points of a constrained system (see [1]). According to the principle of least reaction, for the real motion of a system the quantity
 |
is minimal with respect to all motions conceivable in Gauss' sense. Here 
are the reactions of the constraints and 
the masses of the points in the system.
References
| [1] | N.G. Chetaev, "Stability of motion" , Moscow (1965) (In Russian) |
Comments
References
| [a1] | R.B. Lindsay, H. Margenau, "Foundations of physics" , Dover, reprint (1957) |
How to Cite This Entry:
Principle of least reaction. Encyclopedia of Mathematics. URL: http://encyclopediaofmath.org/index.php?title=Principle_of_least_reaction&oldid=31557
Principle of least reaction. Encyclopedia of Mathematics. URL: http://encyclopediaofmath.org/index.php?title=Principle_of_least_reaction&oldid=31557
This article was adapted from an original article by V.V. Rumyantsev (originator), which appeared in Encyclopedia of Mathematics - ISBN 1402006098. See original article