Biró Tamás Sándor's
(http://www.rmki.kfki.hu/~tsbiro, tsbiro@sunserv.kfki.hu)
special lectures for physics majors or PhD students.
Variational Principles in Physics
Abstract:
Brief history of variational princples in physics
Mechanics
principle of virtual work
D'Alambert's principle
the action principle (Hamilton)
Gauss' principle
Lagrange method
Maupertuis' principle
Optics and electrodynamics
Fermat's principle
electrostatics (Gauss' law)
magnetostatics (Ampére's law)
electrodynamics (Faraday and Maxwell)
waves (Lorentz gauge)
quaternion formalism
Gravity
spacetime
Newtonian gravity
gravitational fields
Einstein-Hilbert action
Thermodynamics
entropy and temperature
free energy
thermodynamical potentials
principle of least entropy production
Elementary quantummechanics
Schrödinger equation from variation
Ritz's principle
Hartree and Fock
Time dependent variational methods