Mechanics → Variational Principles and Applications → The Concept of Action
← Prev Chapter ← Prev Topic Next Topic → Next Chapter →

The Concept of Action

Definition

The action is defined as:

$$ S = \int_{t_1}^{t_2} L(q, \dot{q}, t)\, dt $$

Where:

  • $L$ is the Lagrangian
  • $q$ represents generalized coordinates