Difference between revisions of "Principle of Least Action"
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| − | The '''Principle of Least Action''' is an assumption of efficient motion in physics whereby a particle of fixed overall potential and kinetic energy follows the path that minimizes its action. | + | The '''Principle of Least Action''' is an assumption of efficient motion in physics whereby a particle of fixed overall potential and kinetic energy follows the path that minimizes its action. This principle is remarkably productive in [[modern physics]] because it does not depend on vectors or forces, and tends to be independent of coordinate systems. |
| − | Variations on this principle include the insights that: | + | Variations on this principle include the following insights that: |
* a multi-body system will come to rest at a position that minimizes overall potential energy. | * a multi-body system will come to rest at a position that minimizes overall potential energy. | ||
Revision as of 05:11, August 16, 2024
The Principle of Least Action is an assumption of efficient motion in physics whereby a particle of fixed overall potential and kinetic energy follows the path that minimizes its action. This principle is remarkably productive in modern physics because it does not depend on vectors or forces, and tends to be independent of coordinate systems.
Variations on this principle include the following insights that:
- a multi-body system will come to rest at a position that minimizes overall potential energy.
- light takes the shortest path to travel between two points
This principle is a physical extension of the Euclidean theorem that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
The doctoral thesis of physicist Richard Feynmann applied the Principle of Least Action to quantum mechanics, and later built on that work to generate "Feynman diagrams," for which he won a shared Nobel Prize.