TECHNIQUES OF VARIATIONAL ANALYSIS

Variational arguments are classical techniques whose use can be traced back to the early development of the calculus of variations and further. Rooted in the physical principle of least action they have wide applications in diverse fields. This book provides a concise account of the essential tools of infinite-dimensional first-order variational analysis illustrated by applications in many areas of analysis, optimization and approximation, dynamical systems, mathematical economics and elsewhere. The book is aimed at both graduate students in the field of variational analysis and researchers who use variational techniques, or think they might like to. Large numbers of (guided) exercises are provided that either give useful generalizations of the main text or illustrate significant relationships with other results.