Delve into the core ideas of functionals and their applications to integral equations and variational problems.
Originally delivered at the Cambridge Colloquium in 1916, this volume collects Evans’s lectures on functionals, derivatives, and their role in boundary value problems and physical mathematics. It balances accessible introductions with advanced developments, inviting readers to connect foundational concepts with ongoing research directions.
The book surveys a range of topics from functionals of plane curves to complex and hyperspace functionals, along with implicit functional equations and general integral equations. It emphasizes the methods and structures that underlie modern analysis, including Green’s theorem, Volterra-type results, and the theory of integral operators.
- Foundational definitions and properties of functionals on curves, surfaces, and higher dimensions
- Derivatives of functionals, additive vs. non-additive cases, and variational equations
- Complex, isogenous, and hyperspace functionals with a focus on their fluxes and integrals
- Implicit functional equations, the method of successive approximations, and integral equation techniques
Ideal for readers of advanced analysis, functional analysis, and the mathematical methods used in physics and engineering.