The Development of the Action Principle

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The historical evolution of the principle of stationary action is explored from the 17th to the 20th centuries, highlighting key figures like Bernoulli, Leibniz, Euler, Lagrange, and Laplace. The book delves into its applications in classical physics, including hydrodynamics, electrodynamics, and gravity, while also addressing modern quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. A critical examination of operator versus c-number field theory is included, along with numerous worked examples. It caters to researchers, graduate students, and historians interested in the philosophical implications of physics.